Arthur Edward Cox

Arthur Edward Cox passed away peacefully on September 20, 2025 at Andy’s House, Port Carling at age 92 after a courageous battle with pancreatic cancer. His family was by his side.

Art was born in Toronto on August 13, 1933 into a Bracebridge pioneer family.  He was the son of the late Arthur “Sonny” Cox and the late Margaret Wyman Brazier. He was the stepson of the late Edward Brazier and half-brother to the late W. Garth "Butch" Brazier.  Left to mourn is his brother Melvin (Doreen) Cox of North Bay.

Art was predeceased by his wife Brenda of 62 years and is survived by his daughter Nancy (Patrick) Godfrey and his son Dr. David (Elizabeth) Cox, of Bracebridge. He will be affectionally remembered by his grandchildren, Dr. Shannon Godfrey (Julian Cook), Caroline Cox, Andrew (Simryn) Cox and Daniel Cox (Regan Chatten). Loving Great-Grandfather of Arthur and Luca Cox. Fondly remembered by his nephew Geoffrey Best.

Aside from working 6 years in Toronto, Art lived his entire life in Bracebridge. Having married into a family of locally known historians, Art was known for his historical knowledge about Bracebridge and his accurate restoration work on several historic homes in the community. He was a founding member of the Bracebridge Historical Society, and hung all of the wallpaper and trimmed out much of the fine woodwork appointments for the 1978 restoration of Woodchester Villa. It is no wonder that Art’s second career was as a renovator/contractor.

Art and Brenda were instrumental in salvaging and restoring the Boer War Fountain that now stands in Memorial Park. The fountain was destined for destruction by the Town but was saved by the Coxes and, eventually, returned to the park for the Town’s 125th anniversary. The flowers around the fountain are given each year by the family and will now serve in memory of Art and Brenda.

Art graduated from Bracebridge High School in 1954. Art excelled at almost every sport in which he competed. He was a four-time champion of the Open Mile at the Ontario High School Track and Field Championships. His high school curling team competed annually from 1950-54, qualifying for the Central Ontario Schoolboy Curling Championships all five years and making it to the Ontario Schoolboy Curling Championships in 1951 and 1952 (he was still curling until the end of the 2024-25 season). He was an avid lacrosse player, a competitive baseball player (loved those Blue Jays) and an exceptional golfer.  With at least four holes-in-one in his golf career, golfing was Art’s most favorite sport to the very end.  However, his most noteworthy sport was hockey.

He was a well-known goalie who helped the Bracebridge High School team win the Ontario High School Slater Cup in 1950 and helped the Bracebridge Bears Intermediate B win the Ontario Hockey Association Championship in 1953. Although he was drafted by the Guelph Biltmores (farm team for the New York Rangers) his mother insisted he seek a post-secondary education instead of a life as a high-performance athlete.

Art graduated from Ryerson Institute of Technology (now Toronto Metropolitan University) in Public Health Laboratory Technology in 1956 and started his career in the Research Laboratories of Canada Packers, Toronto.

His opportunity to move home came in 1962 when he was hired to set up and run the medical laboratory at Bracebridge Memorial Hospital and then continued to expand the laboratory in 1963 and 1967, in the new South Muskoka Memorial Hospital. Until his retirement in 1988, Art was the first head of the hospital lab, having acquired his Advanced Registered Technologist certification (also known as MLT), recognized by the Canadian Society for Medical Laboratory Science. Those working at the hospital used to say that Art could get blood from a stone!

Art was a 48-year member, past president and multiple Paul Harris Fellow of the Rotary Club of Bracebridge, a Mason for 49 years with the Muskoka Lodge No. 360, Bracebridge Branch President of the Arthritis Society from 1984-88 and a volunteer and exhibitor with the Bracebridge Agricultural Society for 20 years.  In memory of Art, the Rotary Club lowered its flags to half mast at the Rotary Centre.

The family wishes to send a special thank you to the staff from Paramed Home Care, South Muskoka Memorial Hospital, Andy’s House and especially Allison Robson and her family for their care and compassion.

As an expression of sympathy, donations may be given to Hospice Muskoka (Andy’s House) and/or the Rotary Club of Bracebridge Charitable Trust.

At Art’s wishes, cremation has taken place and a private family interment was held on Friday, September 25, 2025.  A Celebration of Art’s Life was held at the Rotary Centre for Youth, 131 Wellington Street, Bracebridge on Saturday, October 18 from 1-4 pm with a Masonic service commencing at 1 pm and words of reflection at 1:30 pm.