Forrest in Jay Dee Parker's jeep, 1959.
Still, Hilda knows her father – always one
step ahead – would likely have overcome the
recession
just
as
gracefully as every
other challenge he
faced in his
life. “I
have
n o
doubt
he had
something else on
his mind,” Hilda said.
“He had the touch.”
During the Forrest Cox
Homes years, Gene said
everybody
knew
someone who lived in
one of his father’s
homes. Many of the
buyers were veterans
and their families.
“My Dad had a personality of just being
able to go into a group and meet people,” Hilda
said.
Their mother Phebe, who is 97 years old,
was always more of the quiet one, but stood by
her husband’s side and helped care for the
family, Hilda said.
Phoenix resident Britt Burns grew up on
the same street as Gene and Hilda and fondly
recalls the outdoor adventures and happy
memories with Forrest Cox. “I just knew him as
kind of like another Dad to me and a great guy,”
Burns said. “He was kind of a man’s man. He’d
take us hunting an