Wellfleet native and longtime parishioner of the United Methodist Church Hazel Marie Cox of Keene, N.H. died on March 17, 2023 at Genesis Healthcare in Keene. She was 88.
The daughter of the late Earle and Sadie (Smith) Atwood, Hazel was born, according to family lore, on the kitchen table at home in Wellfleet on June 27, 1934. She grew up and spent most of her life in town.
At 21, she married William T. Cox, a Navy veteran of the Korean War who was working for Luther Crowell Construction, on Aug. 13, 1955. They were married for 64 years until Bill’s death in 2019.
Hazel worked in the cafeteria at Nauset High School and served on the board of trustees of the Methodist Church, taught Sunday school, and sang in the church choir. She was a member of the Eastern Star, the women’s group of the Freemasons, and she was also “very nice,” said Sieglinde Rogers, current pastor of the church.
In 1987, Hazel and Bill moved to Marlow, N.H., where Bill had been born and raised. They joined the Marlow Methodist Church and became friends with Tony Davis and Sharon Spalluto. The Cox family expressed thanks to Tony and Sharon for their friendship and caregiving that Hazel and Bill enjoyed in their final years.
She is survived by her son, Jeffrey H. Cox, and wife Kerry of South Wellfleet; her brother, David Atwood, and wife Mary of Alton, N.H.; and by several grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Hazel was predeceased by her husband, Bill, and by her sons James W. Cox and Howard D. Cox.
A memorial service will be held at 10 a.m. on Saturday, June 3 at the Methodist Church in Wellfleet. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Wellfleet United Methodist Church.
