Generations: Remembering My Grandmother Grace Cox

This note was written by my uncle David Cox*

I honor both him and my wonderful grandmother with this posting

(My Mamaw Grace was an example of a good christian woman being and doing all she could to that end. In my eyes she was a saint. I honestly cannot remember this wonderful woman ever getting angry. I never heard her speak a negative thing about anyone. She went out of her way to do unselfish things for the people in her community .I understand that our savior was the only perfect person to walk the Earth and that striving for christian perfection was the right thing to do even knowing that you would always fall short. I suggest that my Grandmother Grace missed the mark by only a very minute amount.
As a grandparent she had a separate and distinct relationship with each and everyone of over a dozen grandchildren. She taught me to paint by purchasing for me many 'piant by numbers' kits when I was very young. She also cut and stitched together a 'Batman cape and cowel' for me when I was 6 years old.
Because Grace Belle (Roark) Cox was my grandmother I am a better person for it.
Now, on to my uncle's note.)

Grace Belle Roark married William (Buster) Lee Cox of Sandstone WV in the 1930s, Grace and Buster had four children: Carlos, Hazel, Donald and David. Buster died in Dec 1981 in Whitman WV. Grace died in Dec of 1992. It has been nearly twenty years and I still miss my mother terribly. In the words of my great grandmother Rosa Vaughn "for one that I have loved in life I will never forget in death." I am sure that my mother missed her family as much as I miss her. I wanted to put my mother's family's names together on one page again. Of course I miss my father also, but this note is about Grace Belle Roark.

Benjamin Roark married Ella Martha Brown in 1907. Ella was the daughter of John Brown and Lydia Brown both Cherokee Indians from North Carolina. Benjamin and Ella had six children one of which was Grace Belle Roark born Nov 21 1914 in Washington Va. Ella died Dec 10th 1947 in Ghent WV. Benjamin died Sept 24th 1959 in Bluefield WV.

Rosa V. Vaughn was born on Jan 31th 1873 in western North Carolina, she was the daughter of William P. Vaughn and Nancy Emeline Arnold. Rosa married, William Andrew Roark on Dec 3rd 1887 in Johnson Tn. They had one child Benjamin Harrison Roark born Apr 1st 1889 in Lumber Tn. William Andrew Roark was killed on Apr 17th Easter Sunday in 1892 he was 22 years of age. Later in 1892 Rosa married Alexander Sheppard of Holston Va and they had several more children, Rosa died Apr 25th 1925.

My Uncle David and his mother, my Mamaw Grace

*Thank you Uncle for having this information available for the rest of us to download and have in our archives. I love you.