Cox, Randy L.

Randy L. Cox, age 63, passed away unexpectedly on August 25, 2024 at the UW Hospital after a tragic skid steer rollover on his Dodgeville farm.  He had been missing for three hours - his wife, Lois had found him.  He said, “Thank you for finding me”.  With all the times he persevered through accidents and hardships, his family thought that this ‘tough guy’ would once again bounce back, but God had something else in mind. During his arrival at the hospital from his med flight trip, he told the nurses about his 45 years of marriage to Lois, about his two daughters, April and Ashley and the love he had for his grandchildren, Keegan, Aspen, Shelby and Adelise. Randy loved their Dodgeville farm, their piece of heaven – it brought so much joy. He always had many projects and goals (sometimes too many) planned for his future. Randy and Lois fulfilled one of their bucket dreams two months ago vacationing to Mt. Rushmore and Devil’s Tower making sure to take their time traveling as they really enjoyed the journey.

From the age of 11 to 18 Randy worked on his sister/brother-in-law’s farm until his graduation from Mt. Horeb High School in 1979. He then worked various jobs until taking over his father’s welding business whereby he built the Cox’s Welding shop in Barneveld in 1990. He had many customers – he always came to their rescue. His friends and customers had the following to say about him: “He always had the answer, he was a walking encyclopedia, he was ‘Our Google’, he was a great teacher, he shared his knowledge.” They also said he was a great mentor and taught them life’s lessons, it was awesome just to sit and talk with him. Some advice he gave was, “Never buy a brand-new car, refrain from using credit cards and make a good investment by ‘buying a home’!” He loved helping local kids fix their bikes/tires.  He referred to many jobs as a “Five Dollar Job”. Randy served the town of Barneveld as a Fireman and EMT.

In recent years Randy fought Lymphoma, but he still tried to keep his positivity.  Treatments slowed him down a bit and he would comment frequently, “I just want to get back to helping people!” This slower life had him relaxed, taking more time to sit and visit and conversing on the phone for longer periods of time. He would drop everything, and his face would light up seeing his grandchildren. Recent grandkid’s birthday parties found him jumping around and laughing like a kid while avoiding getting hit by water balloons. 

If you want to see a younger version of Randy, look at his grandson, Keegan. Randy taught Keegan everything he knows about welding, mechanics and farming. This 16-year-old is a duplicate of Randy, idolized Randy and has stepped into Randy’s boots.

Randy was preceded in death by his mother, Betty Cox in 2022, his brother Larry in 2002, and his infant brother Timothy in 1953.

He is survived by his wife, Lois; his daughters, April and Ashley (Jon), both of Dodgeville; his grandchildren Keegan, Aspen, Shelby, and Adelise; his father Fantus Cox; his sister Cindy (Dick) Reeson, Sandy (Rod) Mueller and Missy (Dave) Lease all of Barneveld; several nieces and nephews.

The crew of 25 U.W. Hospital doctors/nurses/Med Flight and Dodgeville’s EMS/Firemen did everything they could to save Randy’s life. We want to thank them all for their compassion and dedicated service.

A Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday, September 14, 2024 from 4:30 p.m. until 9:30 p.m. at the farm of Dick and Cindy Reeson, 4744 County Road HH, Barneveld, WI (A dish to pass isn’t necessary but would be greatly appreciated.) 

Gorgen-McGinley & Ayers 

Funeral Home

www.gorgenfh.com