Nancy Jane Cox

The world lost its Guardian Angel of Global Public Health when Nancy Cox left us on Friday, April 24, 2026. In addition to her distinguished career, she was a loving wife, mother, Nana, sister, and friend to so many people and colleagues worldwide. Her mantra was, "If it is to be, it's up to me."

Born into a rural farming family of six children in Emmetsburg, Iowa on July 21,1948, Nancy was the eldest daughter where she learned love, hard work and responsibility, traits she would model throughout her life. Graduating as Valedictorian of her high school class, she received a National Science Foundation scholarship to Iowa State University graduating with a BS in Bacteriology, with highest honors, in 1970. Subsequently, she won a Marshall Scholarship allowing her to attend the University of Cambridge in England at Darwin College, where in 1975 she earned a doctoral degree in virology.

Nancy served as the director of the Influenza Division at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) from 2006 to 2014 and as director of the CDC's World Health Organization (WHO) Collaborating Center for Surveillance, Epidemiology and Control of Influenza from 1992 to 2014. She retired in December 2014, after 37 years and 278 publications. She was the recipient of ten CDC recognition awards, seven Nakano Awards, four Shepard Awards, The Lancet's "Paper of the Year," Time Magazine's "The Time 100: People Who Shape Our World," the Service to America Award, CDC's Lifetime Achievement Award and the US Government Federal Employee of the Year award.

Nancy loved spending time with her family on the beaches of Fripp Island, SC, at the mountain houses near Elijay, GA and at the Atlanta Botanical Gardens. She loved attending the Atlanta Symphony with Evan, dancing with him, and soaking in the joy of small dinners with close friends. Nancy also loved her yard and gardening. She was always on patrol for offending weeds. She had a special bond with her granddaughter, Mya. Nana and her Mya loved working on arts and crafts and baking together. Mya and her Nana loved each other deeply.

Nancy and her daughter, Julia, strongly connected through their shared experience of mothering. Nancy, Julia and Mya imagined caring for each other for longer than Nancy's life allowed. Their connection, shared experience and mutual caregiving formed the familial bond that provided resilience for each, day in and day out.

Nancy is survived by her husband of 45 years, Evan Lindsay; her daughter, Julia Lindsay; her granddaughter, Mya Lindsay; her stepson, Dr. Mark Lindsay and his wife, Dr. Robin Lindsay; her step grandchildren, Gavin Lindsay, Harper Lindsay, and Griffin Lindsay, brother, Randolph Cox; sister, Sherilyn Fuoss; brother, Richard Cox and his wife, Christa; brother, Robert Cox and his wife, Lynda; and brother, Regan Cox and his wife, Rochelle.

She lost her mother, Verna Cox on September 20, 2005, and her father, Emmett Cox on September 26, 2006.

Services will be at Glenn Memorial United Methodist Church, 1600 North Decatur Road NE Atlanta, GA 30307, on the Emory University campus on Saturday, May 16,2026 at 4:00 pm with reception to follow. In lieu of flowers the family requests that donations go to the CDC Employee Aid Fund, https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/donation-form/in-memory-of-nancy-cox to benefit CDC employees who lost their jobs due to federal government cutbacks.

For those who will be unable to attend the service in person on May 16, it will stream on the following You Tube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@GlennMemorialUMC It will appear live on May 16 starting at 4:00 pm EDT in the US. It will also be available to view after the live broadcast in case the live viewing time is inconvenient.