John Lavaughn Cox

John Lavaughn Cox went to be with the Lord on Friday April 5th, 2024, after a long, arduous battle with cancer. He was born April 28, 1956, in Camp Pendleton, CA to Johnny Lavaughn Cox, Sr and Joan Eveline Cox.

Growing up with a father in the Marines, John lived in California, Utah, and Belton, Texas before settling in Austin as an adult. Ever the entrepreneur, John began his career with a newspaper route at the age of 10 before graduating to more serious work when he founded his first company, American Payment Services, in 1995 which continues to serve clients today.

John is survived by his wife, Shara Cox; his mother, Joan Cox and her partner Henry Hohenberger; sister, Patricia Wilson and her husband Timothy Wilson; sister, Theresa Sivells and her husband John Hardy Sivells; his children, Jacquelyn Carillo and her husband Michael Carillo, Joseph Cox, James Cox and his wife Michelle Cox, Jeremy Cox and his wife Lani Gil, and Jordan Cox; grandchildren, Jaden Carillo, Jaxon Carillo, Luke Cox, nephews Cory Wade, Shiloh Ribera, niece Heather Wade, and a host of other family and friends.

John is preceded in death by his father Johnny Cox, Sr, his brother Steven Cox, and his daughter Jennifer Cox.

To know John was to know his deep love for the Lord, and he never met a stranger that he felt like couldn’t use a little orange “Meaning of Life” booklet (#IYKYK). He was an avid tennis player, loved hosting friends and family for meals and fellowship with his “Sweetie Pie” Shara, tooling around on his zero-turn mower, and picking up ball moss after the storms.

Though he suffered his last several years on this earth with pain from his illness, his larger-than-life personality persevered, and his spirit remained unbroken. He retained his smile and playful jokes to the very end.

A Memorial Service will be held at 11am on Saturday April 27th at Oak Park Memorial Funeral Chapel in Beeville, Texas followed by a birthday celebration at his home from 1pm to 4pm.

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