Milburn Garrett (Gary) Voka Cox, Jr., 83, passed away on Tuesday, July 29, 2025. He was the beloved husband of Marina née Volkoff, loving father of Gary Don, (the late Jael), Dennis, (Lynnette), and Natasha (Louie), dearest grandpa of Grayson, McKenzie, Cole, Tabitha, Jared, Rachel JaNell, Zoya, great-grandfather of five, fond brother of Estella, and the late Kovita, Sharon, and Daniel.
Gary was a Veteran of the U.S. Army, a member of the Defense Intelligence Agency, the Corps of Engineers, the I.B.E.W., the Alaskan Troubadours Band, a Civil Engineer, and a Superintendent to the Construction Crew of the Trans-Alaskan Pipeline, SAG-AFTRA Union. He was the founder and owner of MGC Construction.
He enjoyed hunting and fishing and was dedicated joyfully to being a licensed Architect in Alaska and Virginia.
The family will receive friends from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, August 2, 2025, on his 84th birthday. A Celebration of his life will follow at 1:00 p.m. at Peninsula Funeral Home, 11144 Warwick Boulevard, Newport News, VA, 23601.
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Our deepest condolences to Marina, Gary Don, Dennis and Natasha for the loss of their husband and father respectively. May God be with them as they go through this difficult time.
Gary Cox was a gentleman in every sense of the word. A gentle man, whose generously kind soul was as bright and infectious as his smile. A gentleman, who could navigate a world of manners, yet was quite capable of the mischief that twinkled in his eyes at the start of each new adventure. I was fortunate to meet Gary in the world of acting. Spending time with him on a film set was a joy. He seemed at home everywhere he went. When visiting my home, Gary was gracious and charming to my wife and children. Children loved Gary. Women swooned around him. Men wished they could be him. But no matter where he went, his heart was always with Marina and his family. He spoke of them often, glowingly, and quite in love. Gary Cox is one of the best men I have ever known, and I will carry his gentle charm, sweet mischief and inquisitive mind with me the rest of my days. God Speed Gary, and safe journeys on your next adventure. Much love always to you all.
Gary was a good friend and a gentleman. We both worked for Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) at Ft. Belvoir from 1999 until I moved in 2005. Gary as a contractor, and I as a DLA employee. I saw autographed photos of actors Gene Hackman and Jon Voight in his office and asked about them. Gary explained he filled in for them in 2 movies by standing in for them in distant scenes with no dialog. He said both he and his daughter did bit parts in movies for fun. Years later I watched the movie Evan Almighty and was surprised to see Gary appear with a speaking part. Talented guy. Gary could act and he also played guitar.
After I moved to Alabama, I still worked for the government, and made several trips to Ft. Detrick, MD and saw Gary there. He worked on the same project for a contractor. Another time I went to the Pentagon and ran into Gary who worked for a contractor there.
I’m also grateful to Gary for being a mentor to me. He and his project leader reviewed my job application to the Corps of Engineers when we were at DLA. They suggested improvements that helped me get the job I wanted. After retiring, I started a company. I phoned Gary and mentioned it was difficult getting a subcontractor for a duty I wasn’t good at. He told a company to contact. They accepted my offer and were a great help.