Nancy Elwood Brown Cox, 91, formerly of Waterloo, N.Y., died peacefully in her sleep January 25, 2017 while in Hospice Care in Savannah, Georgia.
Nancy was born on Feb. 11,1925 at home in Deposit, N.Y. to Charles Kimball, II and Ella Baird Brown. Nancy attended the Deposit Central High School, graduated in 1942, and then attended the Northampton School for Girls in Massachusetts. Nancy graduated from Northampton in 1943, continuing her love for theater and singing throughout her life, often as a soloist, especially enjoying variety show productions.
Nancy attended The Eastman School of Music of the University of Rochester, N.Y. where she became a voice major, graduating with a Bachelor of Music Degree in 1947. While at Eastman, Nancy met Ronald A. Cox, of Rochester, N.Y., also an Eastman student. They were married Dec. 20, 1947 and joyfully celebrated nearly 69 years of marriage.
Nancy worked summers in her father’s pharmacy. She also was a Lifeguard and Swimming Instructor at New York Herald Tribune Fresh Air Fund Camps in Bear Mountain Park. Upon college graduation, Nancy worked as a librarian in the Clifford Avenue Branch of the Rochester Library, and also worked as a “Gal Friday” for the Hayden Interior Decorating Company of Rochester, until her husband Ron graduated from Eastman.
Nancy taught elementary general music for the Waterloo Public School system for 25 years, retiring in 1986. She furthered her education by taking summer courses for several years at Ithaca College, earning her permanent teaching certification. Nancy was an active member of the Waterloo Education Association. In 1981, Nancy received the Teacher of the Year Award from that Association.
Nancy had a large studio of private piano and voice students over several decades and coached and prepared students to compete in NYSSMA Solo Festivals. She and Ron continued their private music studios for over 15 years after their retirement from public teaching. Both Nancy and Ron were instrumental in the development of the Bristol Hills Music Camp in Canandaigua, N.Y. serving as conductors, teachers, and advisors.
Nancy sang in church choirs her entire life and was often a soloist in the region for worship services, funerals, and weddings. Nancy served as Junior Choir Director for several years, in both St. Paul’s Episcopal Church and the Waterloo Presbyterian Church. She also served as a Sunday School Music leader, and often the substitute church organist and even was the interim Senior Choir Director for a time. Following retirement, she served on the
Board of Elders of the Waterloo Presbyterian Church, chairing the Christian Education Committee, and was the first woman Chairman of the Property Committee. Nancy and Ron later became members of the Geneva Presbyterian Church.
Community was important to Nancy, her activities included being a member of and holding offices in The Waterloo Research Club, and in Chapter Alpha Beta Psi of the National Cancer Sorority Phi Beta Psi. Nancy enjoyed volunteering for the Geneva Community Lunch Program, the Seneca County House of Concern in Seneca Falls, for which she served as a board member for several years. She and husband Ron co-founded the Red Jacket Chorale in 1985, continuing their love for music and sharing with the community. Nancy also often served as a rehearsal accompanist and as a soloist.
Nancy enjoyed traveling with her husband Ron, and thanks to visits to her far flung children, she and her husband traveled up and down the Eastern Seaboard, vacationing in Georgia every February. Her European travels included trips to Germany, Switzerland, Czech Republic, and Austria. They enjoyed many family vacations on Fourth Lake in the Adirondack Mountains and annual reunions in Wiscasset, Maine with her three siblings and their spouses. One of their most enjoyable trips was to England and Scotland with Ron’s sister, Dorothy and brother-in-law, Richard Janicke to meet the English relatives of Ron and Dorothy.
Their continued involvement with “Co. C”, Ron’s Army Unit, included travel for the reunions of the WWII Veterans of that unit. Nancy served as Secretary for the “Signal Aircraft Warning Company C” for several years and she and Ron organized and hosted a reunion in Seneca County, showing off the community they loved.
Nancy is survived by her children Thomas (Kim) Cox of Conesus, N.Y., Margaret Chalker of Massena, N.Y., Robert (Kathy) Cox of Savannah, Ga., and Nancy (MSgt. (Ret.) Shawn) Fogg of Augusta, Ga..; grandchildren Christopher (Melissa) Cox, Colleen (Scott) Moquin, Colby (Melanie) Cox, Merrell (Loren) Fountaine and Colby (Melanie) Cox, Nora Cox, Sara Cox, Kelly Cox, Robert Fogg, and Abbey (Roger) Barnard and Matt Saxby; great-grandchildren Kendall and Owen Cox, Baileigh and Brendon Moquin, Mekayla and Alyssa Fountaine and Kadyn and Kamryn Cox; as well as her sister-in-law, Dorothy Cox Janicke; she was Aunt to many beloved nieces and nephews.
Nancy was predeceased by her husband, Ronald A. Cox, (Aug. 18, 2016), her three older siblings and their spouses – Emily and Yerby Holman, Charles and Ellen Brown, Janet and Paul Seehausen and her brother-in-law, Richard Janicke.
Geoffrey Angus Barnett, 63, of Chester, NH, passed away Saturday, February 4, 2017 surrounded by his loving family at the Catholic Medical Center, Manchester, NH. He was born in Clinton MA, on October 28, 1953, a son of Roger and Beverly (Davis) Barnett. Geoffrey was a Derry Firefighter retiring in 1996 after 17 years of service. Prior to his career with the Fire Department, he attended the Culinary Institute of America in New York. He was very active in his community, holding positions such as a trustee of Village Cemetery, a former Chester Selectman, a member of the Chester Volunteer Fire Department, and even being named Citizen of the Year. Geoffrey also loved to plow snow and assisted with the Chester Boy Scouts Troop 163. He was an avid fan of the Highland Games and fiercely proud of his Scottish Heritage.
