Philip L. Cox, 86, of Madison, WI, passed away on Wednesday, June 17, 2026 at Oakwood Village Prairie Ridge.

Phil was born on January 6, 1940, in Austin, Indiana to Vinton and Ruth (Coons) Cox. He graduated from Austin High School, where he was both a band member (for 6 years, starting in middle school) and played basketball enthusiastically, despite having limited talent for either.

He attended college at Ball State, and met his future wife, Judy, while working at the Baptist conference center in Green Lake, Wisconsin. They married in 1962, and moved to Michigan so that Phil could start his career as a mathematics teacher at Forsythe Junior High in Ann Arbor.

During his career, he taught at all levels from junior high through college, spending most of his time at Walled Lake Central High School, and in the process both earning his doctoral degree in education and writing a mathematics textbook that was adopted across the US. While in Michigan, he volunteered in many capacities, on the board of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, as an editor of the Michigan Council of Teachers of Mathematics magazine, at his church, and in the church garden.

In 2001, Phil and Judy moved to Wisconsin to be close to their granddaughter, Corrinne, who promptly grew up and moved to Baltimore despite our best efforts to keep her. After retiring from teaching, Phil spent even more time on volunteer activities, acting as a leader for the Madison Area Food Pantry Gardens, as a board member of the South Central Library System, and on the Outreach Committee at Bethany United Methodist Church.

In his later years, he was known for telling stories about his childhood and cracking jokes, and he always enjoyed listening to music and reading. He will be missed for his humor and sense of adventure - he was always willing to try new things, including go-karting and tubing for the first time in his 80’s.

Phil is survived by his spouse, Judy (Gallatin) Cox; daughter, Andrea Cox, son-in-law Brian Casey, and granddaughter, Corrinne Casey.

A memorial service will take place at 2:00pm on Saturday, June 27, 2026 at Oakwood Village Prairie Ridge, Tree of Life Chapel, 5565 Tancho Drive, Madison, Wisconsin.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Phil’s name to:

• The Alzheimer’s Association
• Madison Area Food Pantry Gardens
• Scott County Heritage Center and Museum

Cress Funeral & Cremation Service

1310 Emerald Terrace, Sun Prairie

(608) 837-9054