CHARLES COX

Charles Edward Cox of Norristown, Pennsylvania, died peacefully and surrounded by his family on Sunday, June 19, 2022, at 78 years old. He is survived by his wife, Diane Jarosz Cox; son and daughter-in-law, Gary and Catharine; daughter, Jennifer, and grandchildren, Emily and Bowen.

He also is survived by his sister, Marilyn Heter, her husband, Dale; brother, James Cox, his wife, Norma; sister-in-law, Dorothy Cox, wife of deceased brother, Allan Cox; brother-in-law, Robert Jarosz and wife, Kathy; many special nieces and nephews and dear friends he regarded as family. He is predeceased by his parents, James and Frances (Armstrong).

He was born and raised in Rossford, Ohio, where in high school he met his lifelong love, Diane. Chuck was truly gifted at math and science, and when a high school teacher suggested he become an electrical engineer, that’s what he did– achieving both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in electrical engineering at the University of Toledo. Over the course of his professional career, he held numerous positions as a director of engineering for GE, SCM, and Ametek, to name a few; was granted two U.S. patents, received countless awards for his pioneering design work and later went on to found his own company, Intek.

In his free time, he loved to tackle home improvement projects or work outside in the garden or yard. He kept the area birds–and to his consternation, squirrels–well fed, and then watched them while he ate his lunch. His favorite pastime and hobby was reading. If the book was exceptionally good, it held him captivated, only putting it down for the bare necessities of eating and sleeping.

His greatest love and joy was his family. It was palpable and filled the room when he was with you. His wife, Diane, was his soulmate. He was her very best friend and confidant. Married almost 57 years, they faced life’s challenges together always holding hands, with laughter a big part of keeping them strong. As her caregiver, he was kind, thoughtful and very supportive despite his own health challenges. He often remarked that his tradition of bringing her a cup of tea in the morning was his favorite part of the day. A loving, caring, patient father to Gary, Jennifer, his daughter-in-law Catharine, and, as described by both his grandchildren, Emily and Bowen, the best grandfather they could’ve asked for.

Chuck was noted for his dry wit–always accompanied with a fond smile. He insisted that he was not particularly social, but in truth he greatly enjoyed gathering with family and friends; never needing to be the center of attention yet was often the glue connecting us all. An intelligent, quiet, reserved soul who offered a kind word, easy conversation or sound advice to navigate life’s obstacles that we all greatly relied upon and will be sorely missed. He was suddenly taken from us, but we remain forever grateful for the time we had with him and will cherish and take comfort in those memories for the years to come.

A celebration of Chuck’s life will be held in the fall of 2022.

To honor his memory, donations may be made to either Montgomery County Public Library for the Bookmobile, mnl.mclinc.org/ donations, or Philabundance, philabundance.org/ donate.