Our obituaries page allows for you to light a candle for a loved one or leave a guest comment. You are able to search for obituaries by first and last name or by the date of death.

Stephen M Cox

November 6, 1959 - July 2, 2018

Stephen M. Cox passed away peacefully in his sleep while snuggling with his puppies in the afternoon of Monday, July 2, 2018.

Steve was born on November 6, 1959 in Hyattsville, Maryland to Paul and Mary Cox. Steve moved to Iowa and graduated from Clarke Community High School in 1978. He received his B.A. in Arts Education from Drake University in 1983. In 2005 he received his Masters of Arts in Education – Educational Leadership from Viterbo University.

Steve shared his talents with thousands of students in the 34 years he served the Des Moines Public Schools as an Arts Educator. He taught at several elementary schools and Callanan Middle School before starting at Hoover High School in 2015.

Steve married his wife Jamey on October 16, 1999. They have spent the last 19 years “living a life less ordinary, living a life extraordinary.” The only people Steve loved more than Jamey were his daughter Amanda and son-in-law Ben.

Steve’s zest for life was evident in everything he did. In 2008, Steve and Jamey joined the Triathlon Racers of Iowa, which began a 10 year journey of them traveling and racing together. Steve completed multiple triathlons and running races including 5 Chicago Marathons and 4 Ironman Triathlons. Although he had completed all of the physical challenges put before him, he would tell you the greatest thing to come out of joining the TRI group was the long lasting friendships that have turned into family.

Along with training and racing, Steve was an avid sports fan, spending many years rooting for the Cincinnati Reds, Minnesota Vikings and Iowa State Cyclones. His love for the sport of baseball was evident by his time spent coaching little league and high school baseball for 20 years, and receiving Coach of the Year honors at CMB.

Steve is survived by his wife, Jamey; his daughter, Amanda and her husband, Ben “Sheets” Lamfers; his stepson, Ryan and his wife, Gessica Hardin and stepgranddaughter Maddy Lu; extended family and friends. A special heartfelt thank you to the family of friends without whom we would not have been able to endure the deep sorrow and pain of our loss.

“As time begins to elapse, one begins to love the other because they have shared the same experience. Selves may not intertwine; but lives do, and shared memory becomes as much of a bond as the bond of the flesh. Family love is this dynastic awareness of time, this shared belonging to a chain of generations. We collaborate together to root each other in a dimension of time longer than our own lives.”
“Lodged in the Heart and Memory” – Michael Ignatieff

Please join us at The Fletcher immediately following the celebration of life.
1802 N Ankeny Blvd #100
Ankeny, IA 50023

In lieu of flowers please direct memorials to the Animal Rescue League of Iowa. https://www.arl-iowa.org/