Geneva L. Byars-Cox was born on Jan. 17, 1923, in Idabel and passed away on Oct. 22, 2026, at The Commons in Enid. She was the daughter of John W. and Maggie M. (McBride) Garrett and attended Smithville High School.
Funeral services are 10 a.m. Thursday at Dowden-Roberts Funeral Home Chapel in Heavener. Interment will be in Ellis Chapel Cemetery in Wister, under the direction and care of Dowden-Roberts Funeral Home in Heavener.
She was united in marriage to Preston Clovis Paschal on Nov. 15, 1941. They had one child, Preston Clovis Paschal, Jr., who was born in July 1943 and, sadly, died shortly after birth. During their marriage they were stationed at several Army bases where she worked in various positions. Geneva became a young widow when Preston was killed in action off Omaha Beach on D-Day.
On Dec. 1, 1945, she married Fay W. Riley. During their marriage, they traveled across the United States and Canada while Fay worked as an oil pipeline engineer. For a few years, Geneva bred and sold toy Chihuahua dogs. They had plans to fly to Australia and live. Geneva obtained her pilots license, but Fay’s flight physical revealed that he had cancer, so they moved back to southeast Oklahoma. They separated in February 1959.
She married Milton Jack Byars on May 1, 1959. During their marriage, she worked for Hamlin Clothing for 25 years. She and Jack traveled to Africa, the Canary Islands and the Bahamas. They resided in the Poteau and Wister area. In addition to their full-time jobs, they also operated a successful cattle operation. Jack passed away on March 18, 2003.
On Sept. 9, 2004, she married Charles W. Cox. They lived outside of Heavener, raised cattle, and operated a hunting pen. After his death on June 1, 2013, she lived briefly in Alva, Stigler and Wister before returning to the Heavener area. In June 2020, she moved to Enid, to be closer to her surviving family members.
She is survived by her niece, Kathryn S. Holt, of Alva; and nephews Danny D. Crawford of Enid, Douglas D. Lakely of Alva, and Dennis K. Lakely of Enid.
She was preceded in death by her son, her husbands, her parents and grandparents and her sisters Anna (Ann) Lee (Garrett) Crawford and Lora Gatha (Garrett) Parker.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Ellis Chapel Cemetery Fund, P.O. Box 602, Wister, OK 74966.
To sign Geneva’s online guestbook please visit www.dowdenrobertsfuneralhome.com.
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