Maureen (Lake) Cox

87, passed peacefully on 15 April 2025 at West Shore Health Center in Warwick, RI. She was predeceased in 2024 by her beloved husband of 68 years, Robert.  She was born and raised in Fall River, MA and graduated from Mount St. Mary’s Academy. She and Robert lived in Somerset for nearly 40 years before retiring to West Yarmouth, MA in 1999. They moved to Johnston, RI in 2020 to be closer to their children and grandchildren.  

As young adults, they lived briefly in Hartford, CT employed by Pratt & Whitney before moving back to Fall River. Maureen was a career Executive Secretary, employed by Household Finance and beginning in 1964 by the Roland A Dumont Insurance Company in Fall River, where she worked for 36 years until her retirement.  

She is survived by her daughter Lynne Handanyan (husband James) of Narragansett, RI; her grandsons Benjamin (partner Shireen), Alexander (fiancé Cynthia) and Jacob; and her son Christopher (husband Javier) of Boston. She appreciated the love and attention she received from her children and their spouses, and she adored her three grandsons and their partners. Maureen was predeceased by her mother Blanche (née Vautrin) and father Charles Lake. 

In retirement she discovered her love of golf and participated on multiple women’s leagues where she competed at par with the best players. She  enjoyed the camaraderie of a small group of women whom she befriended on the Cape.  She and Robert travelled to Florida annually for warmer weather and the ability to golf with friends.   At West Shore, she enjoyed playing cards with her family and bingo with the residents as well as any of the other activities offered by her friends on the activities staff.

Our family wishes to express our sincerest gratitude to the staff at West Shore Health Center in Warwick, who embraced our Mother as if she were their own. They were kind and gentle and always respectful of her wishes. Her final days were made comfortable with the help of Beacon Hospice and the outstanding staff at West Shore Health Center, whom she had come to love as adopted members of the family.

A graveside service will be held at a later date at St. Patrick’s Cemetery in Somerset, MA to honor the lives of both Maureen and Robert. 

In lieu of flowers, a contribution can be made to Save the Children, a nonprofit organization that works to help children all over the world become healthier, safer and better educated.