Carol Jane Cox

Carol Jane Cox

Of Apple Valley, MN died on May 21, 2023 at age 86 at Southdale Hospital in Edina, MN. Her final days were spent peacefully, surrounded by family and friends.

Carol was born in Grand Rapids, MN in 1937. After graduating high school, she earned her LPN and worked as a Licensed Practical Nurse in a psychiatric ward until she married Russ Cox in 1957. Russ’s work took the couple to Indiana and Ohio for several years before they returned to Bloomington, MN to raise their family.

Carol was an avid crossword puzzler, Scrabble player extraordinaire, and was known far and wide for her delicious baked goods including cookies, fudge, and her nearly-famous rock candy which she made for her church Bazaar every year for more than 35 years.

Wherever she lived, Carol routinely welcomed new people to her neighborhood with a loaf of freshly baked bread. In fact, when she and Russ moved to Summerville Co-op in Apple Valley in 2015, she decided she would make a loaf of bread for every single resident of the co-op — and so she did — 70+ loaves of bread in total.

Carol brought people together with her welcoming attitude, warm affection, and ready wit. She was a member of many communities, including her extended family, workshop groups, choir, support groups for kids with special needs, and her church.

She enjoyed her family’s 35-year tradition of heading up north to "the cabin" for a week full of family and friends, games, and their annual Bake Off contest, which she often won.

Carol’s soft-spoken kindness and generosity affected everyone around her. Her friendly and accepting attitude made her the “‘’nother mother” of many people including nieces and nephews, neighborhood kids, and many of her children’s friends.

Carol had a spunky side, too, and she and her sister Barb were known for their hours-long Scrabble games punctuated by giggles and guffaws of varying volume. The two sisters shared a love of silly pranks, baking, gardening, and making mischief of one kind or another.

Carol is predeceased by her husband, Russ; daughter, Jennifer; and sisters, Arlene and Barb.

Carol is survived by children, Jeff (Laura) Cox, Tom Cox (Tom Rotman), and Diana Korpi (Sarah Duncan); grandchildren and great-grandchildren, Melanie (Andy) and Owen Manaen; Abby (Josh) Ampil; Aaron (Shannon) and Callan Cox; Katie Korpi (Cina Dean); Mckenzie Boyle; and Ida Duncan.