David W. Cox

David W. “Dave” Cox, 74, of St. Joseph, passed away on Tuesday, August 17, 2021 at his home. A Celebration of Life Service will be held on Tuesday, August 24, at 1 PM at Starks & Menchinger Chapel, 2650 Niles Rd., St. Joseph, with Pastor Tom Bird officiating. Friends may visit with the family one hour prior to the service at the funeral home. Burial will follow at Riverview Cemetery with Military Honors performed by North Berrien Military Rites Team. Memorial contributions may be made to Berrien County Cancer Service, 3900 Hollywood Rd., St. Joseph, MI, 49085 or The Wounded Warrior Project, P.O. Box 758516, Topeka, Kansas 66675-8516. Those wishing to leave an online condolence may do so at www.starks-menchinger.com. Dave was born on April 30, 1947 in Muskegon to Roy & Bernice (Gedman) Cox. In 1965, he graduated from Muskegon Catholic High School. In September 1967, Dave proudly enlisted in the United States Naval Reserves. He was stationed in the Philippines as a Communications Specialist. He was released from Active Duty in February of 1969 then honorably discharged from the reserves in October of 1972. During his enlistment, he began taking classes at DeVry University and would earn an IT Degree. Dave worked at Whirlpool Corp. as a mechanical engineer in their motor lab department for 36 years and then as a consultant for one year before he would retire. On May 17, 1986, Dave married Laura Masterson (Mickel) in St. Joseph. Dave had a passion for photography, and would always try to capture the beauty in everything. He also enjoyed fishing on Lake Michigan, cruising on Sea Ray Powerboats and watching his favorite Naval TV show – NCIS. He was a proud member of the Corvette Club and Berrien County Sportsman’s Club. However, what he loved the most was spending time with his family. While he had always loved his children, he wasn’t shy about telling them he enjoyed spending time with them a bit more when they were of legal drinking age and could join in on cocktails and cold beers. He was an incredible man and will be missed dearly by all who knew him. Dave is survived by his loving wife of 35 years, Laura; children, Brenda Cox-Nelson of Kentwood, Pam (Jayson) Ernst of Muskegon, David (Bryanne) Masterson of Wyoming, and Kristin (Brian) Morlock of Coloma; and grandchildren, Vincent, Anthony, Anna, Seneca, Tyler, Gavin, Hunter, and Easton. He was preceded in death by his parents, Roy & Bernice; son, David Cox.