Ollena W. Cox Obituary (1924 - 2010)

Ollena W. Cox was born Ollena Wyskiver in Wheelwright, KY February 23, 1924 to Julia Hall and William Wyskiver. Her father was a coal miner and her mother raised her and her 2 siblings during the great depression. Ollena married William Cox in 1941 and he served in the U.S. Army during the Italian campaigns of World War II. They had one son Larry, and daughters Linda and Sharon. William Cox worked as a heavy equipment operator and they traveled the Southwest as he worked on large projects like the Glen Canyon Dam on Lake Powell. They enjoyed camping and fishing together and traveled many miles in their trailer to fish on the Colorado River and in Diamond Lake, Oregon near Crater Lake. Ollena smoked and canned the trout Billy caught, but did not like to eat it. Ollena had her own fishing equipment, but preferred to crochet, knit and sew. William preceeded her in death on July 12, 1985 in Diamond Lake, Oregon. Ollena loved to play cribbage and other card games with her family and she taught most of her grandchildern and great-grandchildren how to play them. She was well known for her prowess in Shanghai Rummy and could outlast all at the table even when it was 2 sets of 4 and a run of 7. In addition to her 3 children, she leaves behind 6 grandchildren, 15 great-grandchildren and 1 great-great grandson.