Leslie was born December 6, 1921 in Hull, England to the to the late John Henry Cox and Florence (Hodds) Cox. On January 23, 1944, at age 22, Leslie married his life-long companion, Marian (Stella) Popplewell, in Hull, England. They remained married for more than 60 years until her death in July, 2004.

As a young man, Leslie Cox developed a keen interest in ships that he retained throughout his life. Following this passion, he joined the British Merchant Marines and served as an engineer on various vessels stationed in India and in the Mediterranean during World War II. After the war, he and his wife traveled to South America where he worked as an engineer for a British corporation. In January, 1955, they immigrated to the U.S. During his life, Leslie worked hard to improve his engineering skills, attaining a professional engineering license, and working for various companies as a mechanical engineer in Ohio, Tennessee and Oklahoma. He and his family moved to Okmulgee in 1966 where, except for a two-year period in Oklahoma City, he remained for the rest of his life.

Leslie attended St. Anthony Catholic Church in Okmulgee where he was a member of the Knights of Columbus, serving several terms as the Grand Knight, an usher and a member of the choir for many years. He also attended St. Eugene Catholic Church in Oklahoma City.

Leslie, a loving father and grandfather, is survived by his daughter, Teresa (Cox) Thiel, and her husband, Mark, of St. Louis, Missouri; daughter, Shirley Cox, of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; son, Paul Cox, and his wife, Quenetta, of Okmulgee, Oklahoma; and six grandchildren, Julia and Ethan Thiel, Andrew Porter and Keith, Jennifer and Brandon Cox. He is further survived by his brother, Edward Cox, of Manchester, England; his sister, Margaret (Cox) Ford, of Leeds, England and other relatives in England.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10:00 a.m., Wednesday, December 13, 2006 at St. Anthony Catholic Church in Okmulgee, Oklahoma by Rev. Benjamin Vima. A rite of committal and interment will be held in Resurrection Memorial Cemetery, 7500 W. Britton Road, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma under the direction of Rev. Joseph Jacobi of St. Eugene Catholic Church. Relatives and friends are welcome to visit at the McClendon-Winters Funeral Home, 303 E. Seventh, Okmulgee, Oklahoma on Tuesday.

The family would especially like to thank the staff of the Plantation House and the Highland Park Nursing Home, both of Okmulgee, Oklahoma, for their generosity, assistance and support.