COX, Lisa Eileen

Cox, Lisa Eileen Lisa Eileen Cox, December 4, 1961 - November 28, 2003. It's been said that adversity builds character. Lisa Cox had plenty of both-adversity and character. But like the proverbial chicken and egg, it's hard to say which came first. It took plenty of character to be a seventeen-year-old freshman at UCLA; & it took even more to accept with grace & aplomb her physical limitations when, at seventeen, she was stricken with rheumatoid arthritis & could no longer walk from her Sigma Kappa Sorority House to classes. Undaunted, she took a part-time job at Western Microtechnology and transferred to San Jose State University, which had better disabled-student access, where she earned a degree in Marketing. After graduating, she joined Fujitsu Microelectronics, where she eventually achieved the company's highest-level position held by a woman. Though she continued to experience health problems, she never let them stop her from achieving her goals. Along with hip replacements and knee replacements, she also received a Master's Degree in Public Administration from San Jose State, and then joined Advanced Micro Devices, where she was the only woman in Distribution Marketing and traveled both nationally and internationally on company business. When her arthritis eventually prevented her from traveling and it became clear that she would do better in a dryer and warmer climate, she moved to Phoenix to be closer to her mother and her oldest sister, and to attend Law School, planning eventually to represent people covered by the Americans With Disabilities Act. On Thanksgiving Day 2002, however, she suffered a major stroke, and Law School was put on hold as she struggled to recover. Six months later, she began having seizures, but she never gave up and her spirit never faltered. In 2003, she planned a huge family Thanksgiving, to make up, she said, for having missed last year's. Unfortunately, just hours before the thirty-plus friends and family members were about to assemble at her house for Thanksgiving dinner, she suffered a seizure from which she would not recover. And in the wee hours of Friday, November 28, 2003, with her family at her bedside, and with the same astonishing aplomb and grace that had characterized her life, she slipped quietly away. For almost 42 years, Lisa Cox's presence made the world a better place. Hers was an eclectic assortment of loves: Barbie, Hawaii, Disneyland, flannel pajamas, Little House on the Prairie, country music, mischief, friends, and family. She is survived by her parents: Marshall Cox of Indian Wells, CA, and Eleanor Cox of Phoenix; two step-mothers: Donna Cox of Indian Wells, CA and Bonnie Cox of Los Gatos, CA; four sisters: Erin Cox Oney, Michelle Calhoun, Schelby Dugan, and Courtney Cox; one brother: Marshall A. Cox; eight nieces and nephews: Ryan, Heather, and Alec Oney; Taylor, Tara, and Toby Calhoun; and Yoshi and Riker Cox; numerous aunts, uncles, and cousins; and a world full of friends. The lives of all she touched were immeasurably enhanced by her love, her generosity, her wonderful sense of humor, her tenacity, and her courage in the face of adversity. Truly, she was a woman with character to spare. A memorial celebration of Lisa's life will be held on Saturday, December 6, 2003 at 10:00 A.M. at All Saints Episcopal Church, 6300 N. Central Avenue, Phoenix, AZ 95012. A reception for family and friends will follow. Published in the Arizona Republic on 12/3/2003.