Dale "Lavon" Cox (age 86) passed away on February 22, 2015 in Wichita Falls, TX.
Lavon was born in Red Springs, Texas on November 23, 1928 to Dale and Della Cox. He graduated from Seymour High School in 1946. After high school, Lavon worked for the Seymour Mercantile and later started an electrical contracting business before joining the U.S. Air Force in 1951.
He served his country in the Korean War completing a tour of duty and was Honorably Discharged with the rank of Staff Sergeant. Following his service, he began work for the U.S. Civil Service in Cheyenne, Wyoming as a technical instructor for Air Force military personnel. In 1957 he began a distinguished 38-year career with Lockheed Martin living in Denver, Colorado; Orlando, Florida; and Dallas, Texas before retiring as Director of Product Support and Logistics in 1995.
During his career at Lockheed Martin, Lavon held several key managerial positions in missile defense programs (Titan I, II, III and Sprint) and in weapons systems including the Target Acquisition Pilot Night Vision System (TADS/PNVS) for the Apache helicopter and the JAVELIN portable anti-tank missile system used by U.S. forces in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Lavon"s career achievements at Lockheed Martin included being named Top 100 Employees in 1977 and Top 10 Employees in 1982 and 1988. Lavon also received the U.S. Army Commander"s Award for Public Service in 1986 (one of the highest honors that can be awarded to a civilian).

Lavon was a man of religious faith and enjoyed church activities, bible studies, and discussion. He was a founding member and leader of Northland Community Church in Longwood, Florida and was instrumental in fostering its growth from a small congregation of a few dozen into one of many thousands today.

He was always a man of great curiosity and appreciation of invention and innovation. He particularly enjoyed entrepreneurship and over the course of his life, established a number of small business enterprises in a variety of areas including data processing, electronics, training and assessment, and consumer products.

Lavon was grounded in who he was and resolute in his beliefs. He possessed a large and vibrant personality that few who knew or ever met him could easily forget. He was indefatigable in pursuit of a goal and railed against failure, pretense, and inaction.

Despite the distant places his life and career took him, he never lost his deep, unyielding affection for the Texas communities of Red Springs and Seymour which he called "Home". He loved visiting there at any oppurtunity and took great comfort that his beloved home would be his final resting place.

He is survived by his wife, Jane Cox of Whitney, Texas; step daughters, Paula Reinmuth and husband, Larry of Arlington, Texas, Michele Kelley and husband, Tony of Springtown, Tx; children, Terri Watt and husband Larry of Orlando, Fl. , David Cox and wife Cynthia of Orlando, Fl., Tracey Paschal and husband, Scott of Golden, Co, and their mother, Bonnie Cox of Golden, Co; daughters, Marissa Moors and husband Stephen of Tucson, Az., Brenda Trice of Umatilla, Fl, and their mother, Starlene Southwick of Tucson, Az; brother Richard Cox and wife, Berma of Seymour, Texas; and grandchildren, Rusty Howard, Caden Moors, Colby Moors, Cooper Moors, Madison Moors. He is preceded in death by his parents, Dale and Della Cox of Seymour, Tx; his brother, Jerry Cox of Wichita Falls, Texas, and his son Andrew Cox of Grapevine, Texas.