Gilbert ‘Gib’ Cox

Published 4:00 pm Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Gilbert J. “Gib” Cox of DeMoines, Wash., a Wallowa County native, died Nov. 23, 2011, at age 88.

He was born to Glenn and Laura (Nuxall) Cox in Enterprise, where he grew up and graduated from high school. He became an accomplished musician and athlete who played football at Oregon State University.

He entered the U.S. Army and was trained as an Alamo Scout, an elite force. He participated in the famous raid on the prison camp at Cabanatuan in the Philippines, freeing and guiding to safety 510 Japanese-held prisoners, for which he was awarded the silver and bronze stars.

After WWII, he was elected Wallowa County Sheriff, later returning to Army service during the Korean War. He and Mildred Knape were married in La Grande in 1946.

The family settled in Des Moines, Wash., where Gib lived a quiet life with his family, working first at Boeing and later at Alaskan Copper & Brass.

His free time was dedicated to hunting, fishing and building the family home.

He is survived by Mildred, his wife of 65 years; daughters Allison Gerst and Linda MacClellan and son and daughter-in-law Joel Cox; four grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

Funeral services will be held at 10 a.m. Dec. 12, 2011, at the Tahoma National Cemetery in Kent, Wash.