Mary Dawn Cox

Mary Dawn (Barton) Cox, of St. George, Utah, passed away peacefully on October 18, 2025 at the age of 98. While her family mourns the loss of a cherished mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, aunt and friend, they take comfort knowing she was welcomed home by her husband, Norman.

On May 21, 1927, Mary Dawn arrived as the eighth of Leo Lorenzo and Karma (Johnson) Barton's eleven children. She spent most of her childhood in Tropic, Utah, a small farming community that wasn't officially named until the previous year. Her birth not only increased the size of her family, but also the size of a community populated with a sparse fifteen families. She was raised in a loving home of faithful members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Some of her fondest memories took place among the towering hoodoos and Ponderosa Pines of nearby Bryce Canyon National Park. In her youth, she participated in the park's Lodge employee tradition of singing a farewell song to departing guests each morning. Thus, a lifelong devotion to faith and family as well as her love of singing, outdoors and her red desert home took root.

In 1940, Mary Dawn's family moved to the "big city" of St. George where the population was just shy of 3,600. While attending Dixie High School, she met her life-long love and eternal companion, Norman Hoyt Cox. When recalling her first impression of him she said his style, specifically his well-tailored gaberdine pants, then she would laugh and wave a hand at him and the less eye-catching attire of his adulthood. Shortly after their first date, their love story took a detour when Norman enlisted in the U.S. Navy and left for basic training. Mary Dawn set out on her own adventure to work in an aviation factory in Long Beach . . . coincidentally not far from the Naval Training Center in San Diego. Their separation was brief and at the age of 19, they married for time and all eternity in the St. George Temple on December 12, 1946.

Mary Dawn was a lifelong member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and had an unwavering testimony and faith in Jesus Christ. She was committed to helping others and blessed many lives through her various church callings, including temple service and leadership roles in Relief Society and youth programs. She and Norman raised their seven children in a happy, loving and often crowded home grounded in faith. While Norman spun stories, Mary Dawn offered a listening ear and food to eat. Her thanksgiving dinners are legendary among her grandchildren, especially her stuffing which she claimed was "nothing special" but many of us endeavor to recreate it each year. And who among the family can forget the long table of homemade pies tempting us to skip the turkey for an extra slice topped with freshly whipped cream.

Raised in a family of thirteen, married to a story-telling husband and surrounded by her own children and a vast extended family, Mary Dawn was more comfortable listening than talking. But she never shied away from sharing her beautiful singing voice. She sang with the Keynotes, a local women's singing group, for 25 years and passed her love and appreciation of music down to her children and grandchildren. Singing was just one of her many talents. Mary Dawn was a gifted seamstress. She created magic with her meticulous attention to detail and countless hours at her sewing machine. The wedding gowns she designed are cherished family heirlooms. Later, she turned her hand to crochet and every family member looked forward to a renewed supply of dish rags and scrubbies each Christmas. Later in life, she worked in the sewing department at Hurst Ace Hardware where many of her creations were displayed to inspire others. Throughout her life, she accumulated enough sewing, crochet and quilting notions she could have opened her own store! Her "wall of fabric" may be gone but there are surely enough remnants tucked away in the family home we will be stumbling into it for years to come.

After sixty-seven years of marriage, Norman preceded Mary Dawn in death by twelve years. While she was happy to have more time with her family and loved ones, her separation from her husband and eternal companion was an act of patience. Her surviving family takes comfort knowing she and Norman are now joyfully reunited. Mary Dawn's life was one of devotion - to the teachings of Christ, her husband, her children and each generation that followed. She lived a quiet but exemplary life beneath the red bluffs of St. George leaving a legacy of faith, service and love that will continue to ripple through many generations to come.

Mary Dawn was the last of her generation to leave this earth and was preceded in death by her parents, her beloved husband Norman, her son-in-law, Kenny Kindle and grandson, Bradley Cox. She is certainly greeted by all the family and loved ones she outlived with open arms on the other side of the veil. She is survived by her children, Ron (Joyce Labrum) Cox, Sharon Kindle, Barbara (Robert) Englund, Dennis (Ann Shurtliff) Cox, Deloy (Nancy Parks) Cox, Risa (Lennard) Bakker, and Curtis (Jenn Olsen) Cox; nineteen grandchildren and twenty-eight great grandchildren.

The family extends their sincere gratitude for the loving care provided by Jennifer and the dedicated staff at Seasons Health & Rehab who ensured Mary Dawn was comfortable during her final months.

Funeral arrangements are under the direction of Spilsbury Mortuary. A viewing will be held at Spilsbury Mortuary (110 S. Bluff Street, St. George) on Friday, October 24th from 5:00 to 6:30 p.m. and Saturday morning at the St. George Stake Center (591 W. 500 North) from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. Funeral services will be held Saturday, October 25th at 11:00 a.m. at the St. George Stake Center,

Interment will be in the Tonaquint Cemetery.

Memories and Condolences can be shared with the family on Mary's Obituary online at www.spilsburymortuary.com