Suzanne Cox (Hartnett)

Suzanne Cox (Hartnett) peacefully passed away on Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021, in Green Valley, Ariz.

Suzanne was born to Jack and Bette Hartnett on Sept. 4, 1945, in Portland, Ore. She grew up in St. Maries, Idaho, and graduated high school from Holy Names Academy in Spokane, Wash.

After attending North Idaho College, she embarked on a career in the travel industry. Suzanne moved to Chicago and worked as a travel agent for Northwest Airlines. This led to a position at the University of Notre Dame as the football team’s travel administrator.

In 1968, she married Mike Elmore and thereafter had a son, Mike, Jr., and a daughter, Courtney. In 1974, the family moved to Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, and Suzanne became involved with Reid Bros. Oil Company, managing their Petro Stop-n-Shop convenience stores. It was during this time that she balanced life as a loving mother with managing a successful business. She was determined to make Coeur d’Alene a better place by serving as a Chairwoman of the Greater Coeur d’Alene Convention and Visitors Bureau in the late ‘80s.

Suzanne married Ken Cox in 1989 and spent the next 31 years enjoying many wonderful adventures together. Throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, Suzanne was active with the Foundation Baptist Church in Coeur d‘Alene, where Ken was a pastor. In 2015, Ken and Suzanne escaped the winters of North Idaho and found a love for the desert southwest in Green Valley, Ariz.

Suzanne could often be found spending time with loved ones at the Hartnett family’s cabin on Lake Coeur d’Alene. If she was not relaxing on the dock, she was on the back of Ken’s Harley, traveling throughout the West. Whether it was trips to Sturgis or a tour of Israel, Suzanne had a love for adventure with the ones she loved. Throughout her life, Suzanne had an interest in many activities including water skiing, snow skiing, golf and boating.

On Jan. 6, after a courageous battle with Alzheimer’s, Suzanne passed away. She is survived by her husband Ken; her children, Mike Elmore (Jennifer) and Courtney Sward (Glenn); the Cox children, Brenda Duffus (Dennis), Tom Cox (Lisa) and Cheryl Sprague (Josh); her sister, Daryl Hartnett; brother John Hartnett (Pat) and sister, Maureen Reilly. Although her four grandchildren and five step grandchildren did not all have a chance to get to know the “real” Grandma Suz, her legacy will continue to shine bright through them.

The family of Suzanne is planning a celebration of life this summer in Coeur d’Alene.