Steven E. Cox
April 29, 1960 - December 2, 2006
Obituary
Steve Cox was born in Seattle, Washington on April 29, 1960, and lost his life in the line of duty on December 2, 2006. He was 46. He was a loving and devoted husband to his wife, Maria, and the proudest of fathers to his 1 year old son, Bronson and his step-daughter Nicole. Steve will be deeply missed by all whose life he touched, including his family, the King County Sheriff’s Department where he proudly served, and the community of White Center where he was a vital part of their community. Steve will be deeply missed by his loving parents, Ronald E. Cox and Joan E. Cox, and his younger brother Ron Cox. Family was a cornerstone for Steve.
Steve was raised in Burien, where he was a graduate of Evergreen High School, Class of 1978. He earned his Bachelors Degree from Central Washington University, and his Law Degree from Willamette University in Salem, Oregon. Steve began his law career in the Tri Cities where he served as the Deputy Prosecuting Attorney of Franklin County. Later Steve took a position as a prosecutor in King County, but soon gave that up to pursue his lifelong desire to become a police officer. One of Steve’s proudest moments was becoming a Deputy with the King County Sheriff’s Department, where he tirelessly devoted the last 9 years of his life. Many people go to work to make money. Steve went to work to make a difference. His passions in life were his family, serving his community, working on his rental properties, exercising, loving his dogs Luna and Danny, and being a devoted husband and father. Six months ago, Steve and Maria fulfilled Steve’s biggest dream by becoming parents to Bronson, whom they adopted from Guatemala. Bronson brought a light to Steve’s world that no degree ever could. He was truly at the happiest time of his life.
Steve’s work in White Center, where he served for the last 3 years brought him back to his old neighborhood to make a difference. He was President of the North Highline Unincorporated Area Council, worked as a volunteer in the community, and was instrumental in formulating the Weed and Seed program. His family can only hope his legacy will live on. No words can properly say good-bye to a man who was larger than life. His family will be lost without Steve, we will miss him, and will love him forever.
Steve is also survived by his sister in law Ingrid Cox, nephews P.J. and Drew Cox, niece Nicki Cox, brother in law Pedro and wife Ximena Arango, sister in law Luzma and husband John Woods, sister in law Clara and husband Harry Hettinger, his Aunt Patti and Uncle Doug Leifeste, cousins Sandra Owen, Gary Leifeste, Cindy and Chris Golob and Judy and Randy Querin. He also leaves behind many friends who loved him.
Steve will be honored with a police procession and service held at the Christian Faith Center in SeaTac, WA on Friday, December 8 at 11am. Donations can be made to the Steve Cox Memorial fund at any US Bank.
Godspeed.
I’m sorry for your loss. I will continue to keep you in my prayers.
My thoughts, prayers, and sympathies to the Cox family. Steve was a great man.
Semper Fidelis Steve. You set the bar high for the rest of us. Keep Heaven safe.
To the Cox family,
My thoughts are with you during this difficult time. Steve will be missed.
I am so sorry to read and hear about your loss. What a loving person Steve was. Growing up his family must have given him so much love, he then could give it to his wife, children, dogs and community. The Bible promises there is going to be a ‘resurrection of both the righteous and the unrighteous’in Acts 24:15 and also Jesus said in John 5:28 ‘All those in the memorial tombs will hear his voice and come out.’ Our hope is not based on blind faith or credulity but on the ‘assured expectation of things hoped for, the evident demonstration of realities though not beheld.’
Heb 11:1Some other scriptures to help comfort at this time regarding death can be found at-
Eccl. 7;1-2, Isaiah 25:8, Romans 5:12 & 6:23,
1 Corintians 15:21 & 26, and Revelation 21:4. I sincerely hope these help you.
Love,
Mary
My heart goes out to your family. I will continue to pray for each and every one of you.
Steve was a man of virtue and truly honorable. He was genuine, true to his beliefs and passions; I stand in awe fully aware I am better for having known him.
God keep you in His loving arms through this difficult time. You are in my prayers.
The Steve Cox Family… I am truly a better person for knowing and working with Steve. Stay strong and know he will always be watching over all of us and you will always be part of our law enforcement family. God Bless.
With all the respect to you and your family. Rest in peace, for you are a Hero.
Steve will be greatly missed.. He was a true inspiration to so many. Working for a local tow company, we got to know him quite well and it just wont be the same without him.. Many thoughts and prayers go out to his family..
Steve was a Cops Cop. He compassionately gave 110% every day with out fail. He made a real difference. It was an honor to work with him. Total respect.
Dep. B.A. McClure KCSO
To the Cox family.
You are in my thoughts and prayers.
I’ll miss seeing you around the Burien area Steve! KCSO will miss you greatly.
I will always miss you Steve. Thanks for all the laughs and memories. I will see you again my Partner and Friend. Deputy MB Syson
You are an inspiration to what it means to wear this badge. I’ll never forget your words of advice, support and encouragement. Thank you for all you have done and you will be missed by all. God Speed.
Rest in peace my brother. You will always be remembered,
We Honor You,
Although your face will not be seen, your presence will always be felt, your memorie will never fade for those who knew you, and the many lives you touched.
WE WILL NEVER FORGET
With deepest sympathies and all my prayers,
Coy A. Hodge, AFIS, KCSO
Love and Prayers to the whole family. Friend of Joan’s
My thoughts and prayers are with you in this very difficult time.
My wife & I met Steve & Maria as we were both going through the adoption process and we were taking by Steve’s passion & love for life and his dream to be a dad. The thing that captivated me the most about Steve was his love for his wife and the community that he lived & served. At this time of his memorial, I know that there will be a great deal of sorrow & sadness, but let us all take hold in the goodness of this man’s deed & service and pass them on to our lives, families, and communities. God bless you Steve & the Cox family.
Daron & Catherine Deckard
Dear Ron: I don’t know if you remember me or not … the best attendance secretary in West Seattle High…I am so sorry to hear of the loss of your son..my thoughts are with you and your family…
I’m so sorry for your loss,the entire Cox family is in my prayers.
We are so very sorry for your loss. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Steves family. Steve was a very kind man and will be missed so very much. GodBless
I did not know Steve personally but I am feeling a terrible loss for this fallen hero. My heart is hurting so badly.
I didn’t realize what a gift our neighborhood had in terms of a deputy and an incredible human being. May Steve be an inspiration for us all.
My Thoughts and Prayers are with each of Deputy Cox’s family. I am a Black woman who chose a career in the helping profession as a Social Worker. Since hearing the first news report about Deputy Cox, I have closely read about his exceptional life story, his generosity and sensitivity to all people. Deputy Cox’s accomplished and dedicated life is reminiscent of the words of the Indian political and spiritual leader Mohandas K. Gandhi: “You must be the change you wish to see in the world.” To the Family: My apologizes for the insensitive comments of the few individuals who refuse to accept responsibility for their actions. Deputy Cox made a tremendous difference in the world in which he lived. His legacy will live on. I will end with the words of Ralph Waldo Emerson because they express for me the life and legacy of Deputy Cox: “Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path, and leave a trail.” God Bless And Keep Each of You In His Hands.
To the family of Steve Cox, Perhaps it will help to lessen the sorrow of Steve’s death to realize that so many of his friends share your grief. Steve was truly a great man and his presence in the community will be missed. I admired him greatly for his strong commitment to the community. Maria, it was obvious that he had great love and devotion for you. I know you will be brave in your sorrow, as he would have wanted you to be. I want you and your family to know how terrible my family and I feel that you have lost your husband, friend, brother, son, uncle. The community has lost a great man. I ask to share your loss and to extend my heartfelt sympathy. Your whole family is in my daily prayers.
Leticia Riojas and family
He will be sorely missed. He has left a legacy of safer streets and a feeling of community in White Center. All who came in contact with him will miss him.
Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and all of us who morn his loss.
Our fallen Brother and Sisters, warriors all, bid you to join them in the halls of Valhalla where the Brave may live forever.
Safe Journey Steve,
Maria, my heart goes out to you and your children at the loss of one of our best.
The following is a posting from the P-I which I wrote on Wednesday.
You realize, I am sure more than any of us, what a good man Steve was, and how he lived to help others within his community. Please know that you are in my thoughts and prayers in the days to come. God has taken Steve into His arms, and I am sure He has sent angels to watch over you.
From a posting on the PI website:
“To those of you who did not know Deputy Steve Cox, allow me to fill you in on the type of person he was.
He was larger than life.
He was tough, but soft-hearted as well. He loved his community and wanted to see the residents become successful, solve their problems, and become active participants in eliminating crime and violence within their community.
Steve arrested many of the residents of White Center, it’s true. BUT! especially with troubled youth he also followed up on what was going on in their lives, whether or not they were getting off drugs, getting sober, going to school, getting into alternative living situations. He CARED!
He was an old school cop some called him a rogueand he knew his “beat”. He knew who should and should not be there, he said hello to the mentally ill and chronic inebriates who are a part of the community, and he walked through businesses to make sure everything was running smoothly. When Steve was around, we all felt a little safer, a little more like we were making progress in our efforts to improve a once-decaying neighborhood.
The gaping hole which has been created by his passing will probably never be filled. May God accept you into His arms, Steve. We will sorely miss you. Your family will be in our prayers.”
May the pride and love you have for Steve, and his love for others live forever.
God bless.
I am so saddened by the news about Steve. When the story first broke Saturday it didn’t even occur to me that the Deputy that was killed was someone I knew. Of course I was sorry for whoever the person was, but I didn’t feel a personal loss until Sunday evening when I realized it was the same Steve I hung out with in L.A. last year at the Weed and Seed Conference. I have lots of funny and happy memories from that trip as Steve drove us around to the local Weed and Seed sites. His untimely death is a tremendous loss to us all. My sympathy and prayers are with Steve’s family, friends and co-workers.
Jeri R. White, LICSW
Executive Director
Southeast Youth and Family Services SEYFS
We wish to share our condolences and sympathy in the loss of your husband. Our son is a Seattle police officer and knew Steve Cox and is greatly affected by his death. Although we did not know him, the tributes to him show him to be a very special person and police officer. In time, may your precious memories of him and the person he was comfort you.
I had the opportunity to help Steve work through an injury that he sustained while playing basketball. I found him to be a very caring person about his job and mostly about people. We became friends as a result of his caring and openness. He shared with me about his life and his future. He made an impression on me that caused me to want to be his friend. I have memories of talking and laughing together. We will miss him. Knowing Steve, was knowing that you had a friend.
I have known Steve pretty much since kindergarten when we went to Shorewood Elementary School and on through high School. Although I was never that close to him, I just wanted to say that he turned out to be someone his family should be so proud of with so many lives he touched and helped in our community. You always hope your short time on earth might make a difference, and Steve’s did. God bless him and his family – he was taken away far too soon. EHS Class of 1978 is proud to have known this wonderful man.
My thoughts and prayers are for Steve’s family and, of course, for Steve.He was a real Hero in The Community.We lost a superman in our Law Enforcement Family.
Offficer Jack Meduna#3700,Seattle Police Dept, Southwest Precinct
My husband and I were neighbors of Steve’s when he lived in Pasco. He was always willing to help with anything, never making you feel as though asking was a burden. He was a good man. Wanted to help the community and wanted to help Pasco with it’s gang issues. He was passionate about his work. I can remember seeing him for the last time right before he moved back to the Seattle area. He said he was going to move back and try and get with the law enforcement in Seattle where he could do some real good and help people. I would have to say he achieved that goal. May God Bless his wife, his parents, brother and most of all may his son know how special his father was.
Our sympathies to the Cox family and everyone in law enforcement; we at Des Moines Police Department know what it feels like to lose someone so loved. Heroes like KCSO Deputy Steve Cox and DMPD Master Patrol Officer Steve Underwood will never be forgotten.
My father Richard DeWitt passed away a few months ago. In an evening of insomnia, I was up reading the Bonney-Watson list of obits to see who may be sharing the park with Dad…He would be honored to share the hallowed grounds with a HERO and selfless individual such as Officer Cox. May he rest in peace until he stands tall in the Resurrection John 5:29on the Last Day; he was a special man. To his family–God bless.
Steve Cox was my cousin and I hadn’t seen him since we were very young kids. Steve’s Grandpa and my Grandma were siblings. I didn’t make his funeral service but I watched it on tv. I grew up with a Seattle policeman, my Father, and have a lot of respect for all that serve. Like the military when they leave for work you never know if that will be the last time you see them. Rest in peace Steve.
To my cousin Steve, with the anniversary of your death tomorrow, and with so many police officers getting killed/injured it got me thinking about you.
Prayers to you and your family. Rest in peace Steve.
Cousin, I was thinking about you today. There has been about 30 cops killed in the line of duty this year already. Every time I hear about another one I think about you and my Dad. It’s crazy times we live in now.
Rest In Peace Steve.
Kim
Steve, I think about you each December. I miss you and the time we shared at law school. RIP sweetheart.
Thinking of you Steve. 🙏🙏🙏
Steve,
I watched another funeral yesterday of a NYPD officer killed in the line of duty. His partner also killed and his service is next week. It got me thinking of you and my Dad. My Dad didn’t die in the line of duty, but was a Seattle cop for over 30 years. I wish you could have known him.
Will cousin, you keep resting in piece and your brothers and sisters will keep holding the line.
Love, Kim
Jennifersblair@yahoo.com