Dr. Raymond Wilson Cozby, Jr.

DALLAS — Dr. Raymond Wilson Cozby, Jr. (Coz) was born in Grand Saline, Texas, on October 18, 1934, and passed away peacefully on February 27, 2022, surrounded by family and friends, due to complications from pneumonia.

Coz grew up in Grand Saline, Texas, as the apple of his parents’ eyes, as well as numerous aunts and uncles, who all doted on him during his idyllic childhood as the son of the town physician. Coz graduated Salutatorian of Grand Saline High School and in 1953, he began nine glorious and memorable years at the University of Texas at Austin, graduating in 1961 with multiple undergraduate degrees. During his time at UT, he was a proud and active member of the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity where he made lifelong friends. For two years, Coz was a walk-on for the Texas Short Horns freshman football team and played intramurals as quarterback for the remainder of his college career. His SAE opponents never quite understood how the Fijis were able to have a 9-year undergrad as their quarterback. As an only child from a tiny town in East Texas, the University and the Phi Gams were instrumental in shaping his future and both remained incredibly important to him throughout his life.

Upon graduation, Coz obtained D.D.S and M.S.D. degrees at Baylor College of Medicine and began a private pediatric dentistry practice in Tyler in 1967. He was elected and served as President of the Southwestern Society of Pedodontists and received numerous service awards. He practiced successfully for over half a century and chances are if you grew up in Tyler, Dr. Cozby was your childhood dentist.

Coz had many passions, most notably he loved hunting and fishing, athletics, the University of Texas, and Camp Longhorn. An avid outdoorsman, Coz learned to hunt and fish from his father, and during the course of his life he hunted and fished all over the world. He took many memorable fishing trips to Mission Lodge in Alaska, Andros Islands in the Bahamas, Uruguay, Argentina, Venezuela, Los Rocos, Colorado, Wyoming and all over Texas. He particularly loved Manaus on the Amazon River in Brazil where he fished for Peacock bass over five decades – his last trip completed just weeks before his death with one of his sons. He was equally as fine a wing shot and cherished his Rock Valley Ranch outside of Llano, Texas. Some of his best memories were of the hunting and fishing trips he took with his family and his many friends, old and new.

An early adopter of running in the 1970s, Coz ran four full marathons in Dallas, Houston, Big Sur, and the New York Marathon, which he completed alongside his daughter. Coz also competed in triathlons for over 30 years, finishing over one hundred triathlons and duathlons spanning over four decades. Nationally ranked in his age group, he remarked, “When you’re so old, you always get a trophy.” Additionally, Coz was an avid sports fan and his love for the burnt orange Longhorns was unmatched, notably in his attendance of over sixty Red River Rivalries dating from 1952. Coz loved all UT competitions, not just football, and for decades attended Longhorn men’s and women’s basketball, baseball, softball and volleyball games, swimming and track meets as well as tennis matches; many times going by himself, easily making new friends in the stands or at a tailgate.

Coz began attending Camp Longhorn on Inks Lake in 1941 as a six-year-old and stayed multiple terms that first summer. As an only child, Coz looked forward all year to his summers at Longhorn where he remained a Camper, Campselor and Counselor for twenty-three years until 1964, well into his attendance of dental school. Tex Robertson designated Coz a “Campselor” to solve the issue of his long tenure at Camp but still very young age. Amazingly, while Coz bunked as a Counselor in Navajo Cabin One, his wife and two small children lived behind Camp. Coz, also known as Coz Coz, was Director of the Swim Bay and among the first recipients of Camp’s prestigious Attawaytogo Awards. Coz truly loved Camp Longhorn and the CLH family. As Bill Johnson of Camp Longhorn always said, “You Can’t Forget Memories,” and that will always be the case with Coz.

Coz enjoyed each of these passions, but his greatest joy came from his children and grandchildren. He considered his four children his greatest accomplishment and could often be heard bragging about them to anyone who would listen. He spent their early years coaching their sports teams and loved getting to know their many friends, several of whom remained close with him until the end of his life. Coz instilled in his children his love of UT, Camp Longhorn, athletics, and the outdoors, whether it was while taking them to games, on memorable trips, running and biking across the states, or on hunting and fishing trips too numerous to list. Each child and several grandchildren attended Camp Longhorn in the summers, which gave Coz the opportunity to hold court and reconnect with old friends at Camp pickups, for which he always arrived fashionably late. His last year of life was full of family special occasions including two grandchildren’s weddings, watching two granddaughters in the Rose Festival in Tyler, and the Baptism and first birthday celebration of his first great grandchild. Whether we’d like to or not, no one can forget crazy Coz dancing the nights away while celebrating his family!

Coz met Darlene Kirkley of Fort Worth during a weekend with good friends in Hunt, Texas. He was immediately smitten with her beauty and charm, and after 10 years of dating they were married in 2004. In typical Coz fashion, he had to borrow the $50 dollars needed to pay the Justice of the Peace. They honeymooned two weeks later, because Coz had a fishing trip he needed to go on first. After a joint family celebration, Coz and Darlene enjoyed many happy years together traveling, with memorable trips to Africa, Italy, and Peru, attending UT games, and spending time with both of their children’s families and extended family. Of course, Coz quickly and easily fit in to Darlene’s family, and his friendships with several of them were among some of his closest relationships in his later years.

We’ve lost many loved ones before, but we’ve never lost a Coz. People just didn’t like Coz, they loved him! Everyone benefited from his amazing energy and big personality – he was the quintessential life of the party! Coz always had the greatest stories and the funniest jokes, no matter how risqué they were, which he told in his booming voice and thick East Texas accent. He was funny, engaging, inclusive, and had a heart of gold. Coz never met a stranger; if you happened to sit next to him on a plane, at a sporting event in Austin, or in a bar or restaurant, you would have a new friend and probably get invited on his next fishing trip or to a UT game with him.

Sometimes one’s greatest strength is also his greatest weakness, and Coz emphatically refused to grow old, as evidenced by his zest for life and active lifestyle right up until the end. Despite his busy, on the go schedule, he always had time for a phone call and was quick to tell you about the last meal he cooked, the fish he just caught, or his opinions on the latest in Longhorn athletics. He loved drinking a glass of Scotch, enjoying a good meal, and tinkering at his ranch. He was fair, kind, generous, gregarious, fun, sentimental, caring, loyal to a fault, and he treasured his friendships and family above all else. We will miss his long voicemail messages, “Christmas gift” prank phone calls, “Attawaytogrow” birthday wishes, and his mispronunciation of common words, but especially his indomitable spirit, believing that Coz would outlive us all and continue to create more memories and laughter.

The outpouring of love that his family has received from those who knew Coz has been overwhelming and greatly appreciated. He will be deeply and forever missed, but fondly remembered by everyone whom he touched throughout his very full life. Coz was preceded in death by his mother, Margueritte Elizabeth Potts Cozby, and his father, Dr. Raymond Wilson Cozby, Sr. He is survived by his wife, Darlene Cozby, and his three sons, Ray Cozby and wife Mary Ann, Chris Cozby, Drew Cozby and wife Beth, and his daughter, Gleith Cozby; step children, Denise Cumming and wife Frances Craig, John Kirkley and wife Kristin, and KK McKenzie and husband Ryan; grandchildren, Raymond Cozby and wife Kelsey, Meredith King and husband Jamie, Blakeley Payne and husband Sam, Clark Cozby, Bret Cozby, Joe Cozby, Gleith Cozby, Merritt Cozby, Caroline Roberts, Mary Margaret Roberts, Brooke Cozby, Lucy McKenzie, Michael Anne McKenzie, Tess McKenzie, Warren Kirkley, and Mae Kirkley; and great-granddaughter, Maggie Payne. Coz also leaves behind loyal companion, Georgia, his beloved white Labrador. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to Children’s Village, https://www.childrensvillageoftexas.org/, P.O. Box 6564, Tyler, TX 75711. A memorial service and celebration will take place at Coz’s Rock Valley Ranch at a later date.