Auburn - Mr. Paul James Cox, passed from this life to the next on Tuesday, May 15, 2012, at Oak Park Nursing facility in Auburn. A graveside service will be held at Plum Springs Cemetery at 1210 Mudd Street, Eastaboga, with the Reverend James Cohorn presiding on Saturday, May 19, 2012. Mr. Cox was preceded in death by his beloved wife of 63 years, Mrs. Ernestine Mount Cox, and his daughter Deborah Kay Cox. Mr. Cox is survived by his sons, Paul Jeffery Cox and wife, Patti, of Opelika, and James Randy Cox and wife, Suzanne, of Valdosta, Ga. In addition, Mr. Cox is survived by two sisters and two brothers, Mrs. Pauline Cooley, of Guntersville, Mrs. Willa Dean Lusco, of Escanaba, Mich., Mr. Donald Cox, of Huntsville, and Mr. Ed Cox, of Albertville. Mr. Cox is also survived by his extended family on his wife's side which includes her mother, Estelle Yeager, of Anniston; three sisters, Faye Bennett and husband, Bill, of Anniston, Mary Winton, of Oxford, Betty Odell and husband, Richard, of Villa Rica, Ga.; two brothers, Allen Mount and wife, Phyllis, of Ohatchee, Charles (Sonny) Mount, of Jacksonville, and one aunt, Mattie Williams, of Blountsville. Mr. Cox is also survived by his grandchildren, Russ Rogers and his wife, Tracie, of Colorado Springs, Colo., and great-grandchildren, Kynda Michele and Brenden Russell Rogers, Allison Cox Crawford and husband, Andy, of Jefferson, Ga., Katherine (Katie) Cox, of Macon, Ga., Sara Crawford and husband, Cedrick, of Opelika, Pamela Hamel, of Opelika, Jennifer James and husband, Josh, of Opelika, and great-grandchildren, Taylor and Tatum James, Paula Sykes and husband, Colton, of Opelika, and great-grandchildren, Cam and Cooper Sykes, Bridget Krug and husband Brian of Opelika, Al. and great-grandchildren Lauren and Abbi Grace, and Chris Cox and wife, LeAnn, of Opelika, and great-grandchild, Hayden. He is also survived by numerous nieces and nephews. Mr. Cox was born James Paul Cox in Blountsville, Alabama on March 20, 1929. He married Ernestine Mount at the age of 19 in 1948, and was dedicated in his faith as a long-time member of several churches as they moved around the southeast over the years. He has lived in Anniston, Ala.; Miami, Fla.; Columbus, Ga.; Opelika, Ala.; Panama City Beach, Fla. and Auburn, Alabama. Paul's passion was the newspaper business in which he spent most of his life. He started his newspaper career at the Anniston Star in Anniston, in 1948. He covered the only perfect game in World Series history, championships in Alabama and Auburn, and the birth of NASCAR. He earned many fans and awards for his sports reporting including the Herby Kirby Memorial Award given by the Alabama Sports Writers Association for the best sports story of the year. Paul also had stints in Atlanta and Miami before spending 12 years as the Sports Editor of the Columbus (Ga.) Ledger-Enquirer in the late 60s and early 70s. He became Associate Publisher and then Publisher of the Opelika-Auburn Daily News for 20 years from 1972 to August 1991. Even in retirement Paul ran a weekly beach newspaper called the Pelican Post in Panama City Beach, Fla. and was awarded the "Key to the City" for his efforts in promoting the local Seafood Festival. Graveside services will be held at Plum Springs Cemetery at 127 Plum Springs Road, Eastaboga, AL 36260 at 11 a.m. on Saturday, May 19, 2012. Flowers can be sent to Chapel Hill Funeral Home at 542 W. 52nd Street, Anniston, AL 36206 or if you chose, please make memorial contributions to Hospice Advantage of East Alabama Medical Center at 665 Opelika Road, Suite 200, Auburn AL 36830.