Noriene Elizabeth Sisson Cox, 94, passed away on Friday, November 12, 2021 at Thomas Memorial Hospital in South Charleston, after a short illness.

She was born in Sissonville on February 21, 1927 to the late Samuel Preston Sisson and Pauline Carney Sisson.

Having grown up in Sissonville during the Great Depression, Noriene entered the workforce at the age of 16 during WWII and quickly became the Charleston Sears and Roebuck's Men's Department Division Manager. Starting at the Summers Street location and helping to open the Boulevard and Town Center stores. She was the only person employed at all three Charleston locations. Noriene took a hiatus from work when John was born. At that time she attended West Virginia State College, taking library science and education classes, so she could become the librarian at Dunbar Elementary School for several years. Its lovingly said she did that to keep an eye on John. During that time, she also served as a Cub Scout Den Mother at Dunbar Baptist Church. She once again returned to work at Sears and ultimately retired from there in 1991.

Noriene was an avid church worker at Dunbar Presbyterian and Dunbar United Methodist churches. She loved music and theater and always had season tickets to the Charleston Symphony and Light Opera Guild. She loved reading and working crossword puzzles in ink. When her husband Martin was still alive, they would each read four or five books per week in the evenings to wind down their days down. Once her granddaughters came along, she took every opportunity possible to spend time with them.

In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband, Martin Cox; brothers, Preston and Benjamin Nyle Sisson; and step-grandson, Gareth Fujiwara-Perry.

Noriene is survived by her son, John Martin Cox (Nancy); step-daughter, Mary Cox Perry; sister, Doris Lee Beane; brother, Joe Carroll Sisson (Jean); granddaughters, Rachel Anne Rocha (Carlos), Leah Ashley Hassan (Ali) and Sarah Ellen Cox; step-granddaughters, Odessa Fujiwara-Perry and Summer Starling; great-granddaughter, Yusor Hassan; great-grandson, Zaid Hassan; and step-grandsons, Lemuel Fujiwara-Perry , Jax and Devin Starling.

A funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, November 20, at Keller Funeral Home, Dunbar with Rev. Jarred Caltrider officiating. Burial will follow in Grandview Memorial Park, Dunbar.

Friends may visit beginning at 10:30 a.m. at Keller Funeral Home, Dunbar.