Rev. Dr. Howard Cox
Brother Howard H. Cox died peacefully on Friday, April 15, 2022, in Bethlehem, PA. His life began in Titusville, N.J., as the youngest of five children of Frank and Marie (Bossong) Cox. He served in the US Army during World War II and graduated from Penn State University. Following graduate studies at Harvard University, Union Theological Seminary, and Princeton Theological Seminary, he earned a Master of Divinity degree and a Doctorate in Theology.
Br. Cox was received into the ministry of the Moravian Church in 1963. He served as professor of Old Testament at Moravian Theological Seminary in Bethlehem, Pa., from 1960 to 1989. He attended College Hill and then Central Moravian Church, where he taught the Friendship Bible class. A long-time member of the Society of Biblical Literature, he published many scholarly articles and books.
Br. Cox met his future wife, Sr. Shirley Peet, through their mutual passion for music, and they were united in marriage in 1950. He loved singing in vocal groups, notably the Harvard Glee Club and the Bach Choir of Bethlehem. In 1985, he authored “The Calov Bible of JS Bach,” using cutting-edge technology to authenticate Bach’s handwritten notes.
Br. Cox is survived by four children: Martha Cox Popichak (Andy Popichak) and Sara Cox of Bethlehem, Emily Cox (Henry Rathvon) of Lemoyne, Pa., and Jonathan Cox (Eleanor Bush) of Pittsburgh; grandchildren Josh Popichak, Sylvia Popichak, Abigail Cox, Charlotte Cox, and Hannah Hook; as well as his beloved cat, Ginger. He was predeceased by his wife, Shirley, in 2020.
