Wallace Martin Cox

Wallace Martin Cox, 96, lovingly known to most as “Wally”, passed away peaceful, Saturday, October 18, 2025. Family and friends will gather to remember a life well lived, Tuesday, October 28th at 12:00PM in the chapel at Wilkirson-Hatch-Bailey Funeral Home, 6101 Bosque Blvd. in Waco, reception to follow in the Garden Room. Wally will be laid to rest at a later date in the family plot in the historic Pleasant Hill Cemetery in Nolanville, Texas.

Wally was born in January 1929 in Bell County, the community of Berea, north of Temple, Texas, to the late, Horace William Cox and Annalene Ray Cox. He was the third son and third child in a family of eight children. In 1934, following the loss of their farm during The Great Depression, the Cox family moved to the Cox home farm. Wally attended school in Nolanville and graduated with honors from Belton High School in 1945.

After completing high school, Wally worked for Railway Express from 1946 to 1947. At the age of 17, he joined the Air Force in September 1947. He spent two years stationed at Hickam Field Air Force Base in Hawaii, working as an airplane mechanic and visiting nearly every island in the South Pacific that had a landing strip. Upon returning to Texas, Wally reenlisted in Waco and volunteered for combat service in Korea. As a flight engineer on the Boeing B29 Superfortress, he flew twenty-nine missions over Korea with the 358th and 303rd Bomb Squadrons.

During a furlough, Wally met and fell in love with, Lila Smith, a student nurse. They married three years later. Their first child, Becky, was born in Dallas while Wally worked for Amalie Oil Sales. The family relocated to Waco a year later, where their second child, Marian, was born at Providence Hospital, the same hospital where Lila trained and worked as a surgical nurse.

In the years that followed, Wally owned and operated AAMCO Transmission in Waco. He later founded Tow King and remained involved with the business for some years.

Wally was preceded in death by his parents, four of his siblings, Red, Caroline, Hal and Linda; his daughter, Marian in 2018 and his loving wife of over 50 years, Lila Smith Cox in 2003.

Wally is survived by his daughter, Becky, and her husband, Larry, of Salina, Kansas, as well as by his grandson, Sam Naik, of Chicago, Illinois. Wally also leaves behind his siblings, Ray Cox, Carl Cox and Pat Williams. He had many friends--faithful friends--who helped his family care for him. We are ever grateful to Elly Cruz and her family, and Josh Blake who kept a watchful eye on him for us, and the Abney Concrete folks from Hillsboro who also took a fervent interest in Wally’s welfare. The staff at The Blake in Waco were helpful and unfailingly kind. We are grateful for their care for Becky’s father and Sam’s grandfather. There are many others, too numerous to mention, but you know who you are. Thanks to you all.

In lieu of flowers, Wally’s family requests donations to Providence Hospice of Waco.

Wallace’s family invites you to leave a message or a memory online in his “Memorial Guestbook” at www.WHBfamily.com.