James L. Cox, Jr., 70, of Mt. Olive, Ill., died at his residence on Monday, Sept. 12, 2022. He was born Sept. 27, 1951, in Litchfield to James Sr. and Helen Conlee Cox. He married Donna Morelan on Sept. 21, 1992, in Kissimmee, Fla. She survives.

He was a retired freight coordinator for Hays Transport in Carlinville. James was a veteran of the U.S. Marines who served during Vietnam and was a lifetime member of the VFW of Gillespie. He was a Mt. Olive alderman for 10 years. He enjoyed traveling, working on old cars, hunting and spending time with his family.

He is survived by his wife, Donna Cox of Mt. Olive; children, James L. (Christy) Cox III of Gillespie, Daniel (Jessica) Borror of Gillespie, Ron (Paige) Borror of Troy; grandchildren, Bailee Borror, Quade Borror, Reese Borror, Sutton Borror; and siblings, Linda Langford of Gillespie, Brenda (Fred) Schwappach of Highland, and Arthur Cox of Gillespie. James was preceded in death by his parents and a brother, Jerry Eller.

A celebration of life will be held on Saturday, Oct. 1, at Mt. Olive VFW from 1 to 4 p.m.

Memorials are suggested to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital or Toys for Tots. Condolences may be left online at http://www.kravanyafuneral.com. Kravanya Funeral Home in Gillespie is in charge of arrangements.