Ryan Keith Cox, 50, was employed as an Account Clerk in the City of Virginia Beach Public Utilities Department. He worked for the city for 12 years and was a resident of Virginia Beach.
Cox graduated from Princess Anne High School and earned a bachelor’s degree in business and accounting from St. Leo University in Florida. He was a member of New Hope Baptist Church, and participated in Anointed Voices, Men of Hope, the Male Chorus and the Men’s Ministry, according to his obituary.
His coworker, Christi Dewar, told 10 On Your Side that Cox was a hero who saved many lives by helping his colleagues find a safe place to hide during the mass shooting at the Virginia Beach Municipal Center on May 31.
In a Facebook post, another colleague named Tara Reel said that she will remember Cox for his “laughter and gentle nature.”
Before Cox became an account clerk, he worked as a call service representative for the Virginia Beach Public Utilities Department, Reel wrote.
“I would walk by his cubicle and hear him speaking to our citizens — and even if the calls were difficult, you could probably still hear the smile on his face,” Reel wrote.
“I believe Keith would do anything to put a smile on someone’s face,” she added.
A service will be held in Cox’s honor on June 8 at 11 a.m. at New Hope Baptist Church on Old Great Neck Road in Virginia Beach.
Governor Ralph Northam says he plans to attend the service Saturday.
Read Cox’s full obituary here.