Gretchen S. Cox

Gretchen S. Cox, age 73, of Landenberg, PA, passed away on Thursday, April 20, 2023. Born in Charleston, WV, on June 10, 1949, she was the daughter of the late Alfred A. and Annette (Pausewang) Gruber. Gretchen’s family moved from West Virginia to Orange, TX, in 1954, where she started elementary school. In 1964, her family moved to Newark, DE, where her father worked at the Louviers Building for DuPont. In Newark, Gretchen entered Newark Senior High School as a sophomore. There, she made many lifelong friends and also met her future husband, James Cox. Upon graduation from Newark High School, Gretchen attended Wittenberg University in Springfield, OH, graduating magna cum laude in 1971. In July 1971, she married James H. Cox, Jr., a newly commissioned Army Lieutenant. While she and Jim were living in Texas, Gretchen attended Baylor University where she earned a Masters of Art in Teaching (MAT) in Biology which led to teaching high school biology, and then later teaching courses in English and Math for military personnel pursuing their education while serving overseas. In addition to living in multiple states in the US, Gretchen and Jim lived in Tongducheon, South Korea; Berlin and Garmisch, Germany; Moscow, Russia; Warsaw, Poland; and Vienna, Austria. Gretchen coordinated seamless transitions for the growing family adding in two daughters, Alexis and Jessica. She studied and embraced the culture, language, and history of every new home, to the great benefit of the extended family who visited and had Gretchen as their host and guide. Despite greater than average local upheavals, such as the fall of the Berlin Wall (1989) and the coup in Moscow (1991), Gretchen’s nature filled the house with unwavering calm. Gretchen and Jim moved back to the Newark, DE area in 2005, where she became a Master Gardener in 2007. She was an accomplished flutist (for almost 60 years!) and in Landenberg performed in the Morgan Hollow Trio, a flute quartet called Just Flutin’, and acted as co-director of the Flute Choir at the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute. She also became an award-winning quilter, once winning top ribbons for two quilts in the same show. She enjoyed taking botanical art watercolor painting lessons and in December 2022, Longwood Gardens selected one of her watercolor paintings for their world-famous Christmas display. As much as she enjoyed her music, art, quilting, and gardening, by far her greatest joy came from being with her daughters, Alexis and Jessica. She always welcomed friends and family with delicious meals and a keen interest in hearing all their news. Gretchen was preceded in death by her parents, Alfred A. and Annette Gruber. She is survived by her husband of nearly 52 years, James H. Cox Jr.; daughters Alexis Nicole (Cox) Slupe (David) of Landenberg, PA and Jessica Gruber Cox (Johnathon Hege) of Lancaster, PA; siblings Carol (Gruber) Smith of Newark, DE, and Mark Gruber (Mary) of Landenberg, PA. Interment will be held privately. A Celebration of Life will be held at Old Stone Cider, 959 Chesterville Rd, Lewisville, PA, on Friday May 12th from 12-4 pm, all friends are welcome. In lieu of flowers please make donations to the Afghan Student Support Fund at the University of Delaware, a gift Gretchen supported in the interest of lifting others up, fueling good through education, and empowering 15 young Afghan women to fulfill their greatest potential. Contributions may be mailed to The University of Delaware, 83 E. Main St., Fl 3, Attn: John Shipman, Newark, DE 19716-0600, or made electronically by clicking here.

Gretchen S. Cox

June 10, 1949 - April 20, 2023