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Helen Marie Cox died peacefully at her home in Price, Utah on January 13, 2023. She was 90.

Helen was born in Golden, Colorado February 10, 1932, as Helen Marie McKenzie. Her mother, Anne Marie McKenzie died when Helen was two years old. Helen and her older brother Earl McKenzie were raised by her grandmother on her father’s side, Mary Baker and her father, Harold “Bud” McKenzie. When Helen was 15 the family moved to Fruita, Colorado.

On the first day of her sophomore year at Fruita Union High School, in her own words, “I spotted the cutest guy I had ever seen. It was love at first sight. He would become your dad.”

Helen and her first and only love, William “Gale” Cox, would go on to become high school sweethearts and elope right after high school graduation in 1950. They would be an inseparable pair for the next 66 years. They were seldom apart and shared in all facets of life. They loved road trips, camping, and riding their matching motorcycles across the deserts and mountains of Colorado and Utah (which they rode well into their 70’s). Gale died in 2016 at the age of 84. Helen said, “We were like two pieces of a puzzle, the only two in the 1000-piece puzzle that would fit together perfectly. Losing Gale was the hardest thing I have ever experienced.”

Helen and Gale had four biological children, Mickey, Gail Marie, Shari, and Michael. In Helen’s words, Mickey would provide her with a fifth child, her daughter-in-law, Beth. Helen is also survived by her niece, Kathy Fowler, in Washington State whom she loved like her sixth child. There would follow six grandchildren, Jeffrey, Jamie, Scott, Matthew, Logan, and Sevee. She has five great-grandchildren, Phoebe, Emily, Brianna, Jackson, and Eloise. Helen also considered herself a surrogate grandmother to the Webber family who live next door. Helen made no differentiation between her blood and adopted family and said, “whoever coined the phrase, blood is thicker than water didn’t know our family. No matter our roots, we all became Coxes, one and all.”

Gale and Helen spent most of their first 29 years of marriage raising their children in Fruita, CO. They owned a restaurant supply business called Diamond Distributing. Doing business would often bring Gale to Price, UT where he had many customers. As time went on, Gale became enamored with the area and its people, and developed many warm, lifetime friendships.

In 1979, they sold Diamond Distributing and moved to Price, UT and opened a new business, “The Gallery,” where they sold handmade picture frames, cameras and various craft supplies. Advice and good conversation were free. Helen and Gale became an integral part of the Price community and were active in many civic projects and organizations until their retirement in 1998.

In addition to her husband Gale, Helen was preceded in death by her daughters, Shari and Gail Marie, and her granddaughter Jamie.

Their passion for each other, their family and the outdoors made them Inseparable in life, and Helen and Gale are once again reunited.

Per Helen’s wish there will be no service. In lieu of flowers please consider donating to The Humane Society of Carbon County in Helen’s name.

Arrangements entrusted to Mitchell Funeral Home of Price and Huntington where friends are always welcome daily and may share memories of Helen online at www.mitchellfuneralhome.net.

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