Tearful remembrances of Linda Cox

Legislators paused for a moment of silence Wednesday in memory of former Democratic Rep. Linda Cox, a lobbyist who died Monday following a stroke. "Linda Cox epitomized what a good lobbyist was all about," said Sen. Jim King, R-Jacksonville, a friend for two decades. "Not only have we lost a good friend, but the lobbying corps has lost someone who stood out like a bright shining star."

Said Sen. Mandy Dawson, D-Fort Lauderdale: "She was truly a trailblazer. She left such a legacy for women."

Cox, who was 61, was one of the first women elected to the Legislature from Broward County and was the first lawmaker to give birth while in office. Her daughter, Ryan, now 28, was in the House gallery watching as Rep. Loranne Ausley, D-Tallahassee, paid tribute to Cox. Ausley was part of Cox's circle of women friends known as "the witches" (a name bestowed on them by Cox's husband, Sheldon Gusky).

"You leave a gaping hole in our hearts and you will surely be missed," Ausley said.

-- Shannon Colavecchio-Van Sickler and Steve Bousquet 

Comments

[NJL]

Thank you.

Linda Cox, beloved wife of Sheldon, mother of Ryan, stepmother of Sarah and Nathan, passed away on March 10. The funeral will be held graveside at Roselawn Cemetery on Piedmont Drive, Tallahassee, Florida this Thursday, March 13, at 4 p.m.