On March 25th, 2025, Grand Master Gary Lee Cox passed away peacefully in his sleep.

To some, he was a Sensei; to one, he was a husband; to many, he was a dad and grandpa; and to the rest of the world, he was a great friend.

Gary served in the military as a member of the National Guard, Paratroopers, and the Special Forces as a Green Beret for over 10 years.

He married Laura Lea on July 9th, 2002, in one of their favorite vacation spots, Las Vegas, NV.

Before finding his passion in martial arts, he owned his own restaurant, an Irish sandwich shop called Magilacutty's.

Gary ran his own martial arts studio with his wife and son for over 50 years. Gary and Laura Lea were inducted into the United States Martial Arts Hall of Fame in 2013, where he was awarded the title of Most Distinguished Grand Master.

In addition to martial arts, he loved spending time with his wife cosplaying at FanX, taking trips to Universal Studios in Orlando, attending WitchFest, or getting lost trying to follow the GPS. He loves to socialize, sharing stories and pictures about life and all those adventures.

Anyone who stopped by the dojo would hear a story or ten.

Gary is survived by his wife, Laura Lea Wiley Cox; son, Darren Cox; two siblings; five stepchildren; 13 grandchildren; and 8 great-grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his mother, Leah Gerwien Cox; father, Art William Cox Jr.; and brother, Charles Cox.

Services will be held April 1st, 2025, at Larkin Sunset Gardens at 1950 E. Dimple Dell Road (10600 S.), Sandy, UT. The viewing is from 9:30 AM to 10:45 AM followed by a graveside service at 11:00 AM. The graveside will be livestreamed via Zoom and can be accessed by clicking the "Watch Services" at the top of this page

https://www.larkinmortuary.com/obituary/view/gary-lee-cox/