Franklin T. Cox | Ad agency owner, 87

Franklin T. Cox, 87, of Bryn Mawr, retired owner of the advertising agency that designed Wawa's flying-goose logo, died of heart failure Friday at Bryn Mawr Hospital.

Mr. Cox graduated from West Philadelphia Catholic High School for Boys. During World War II, he served in the Army in the South Pacific. After the war, he worked in California as a copywriter with the Los Angeles Yellow Pages for two years.

He then returned to Philadelphia and, with his brother Joseph, established the J. Cunningham Cox advertising agency in Philadelphia. The firm later moved to Bala Cynwyd. Clients included St. Joseph's University, Kissling Sauerkraut, Conte Luna Foods, and Ortlieb's Beer.

From 1960 to 1979, it also handled advertising for Wawa's dairy and food stores. Wawa is the Leni-Lenape word for flying goose. Mr. Cox retired at 70.

He married the former Patricia Roberts in 1951, and they raised eight children. He loved crowds, his son Mark said. Mr. Cox hosted numerous parties and could always squeeze in one more guest at his summer home in Strathmere, N.J. For 55 years, he dined out with members of a men's gourmet club. Mr. Cox and his wife traveled abroad often. He was proud of his Irish heritage, their son said, and kissed the Blarney Stone more than once.

In addition to his wife and son, Mr. Cox is survived by sons Frank, Timothy, Patrick and Michael; daughters Colleen Snee and Maureen; two sisters; and 19 grandchildren. Daughter Christeen Fox died in 2003.

A Funeral Mass will be said at 11 a.m. today at St. John Neumann Church, 330 Highland Ave., Bryn Mawr. Burial will be in Calvary Cemetery, West Conshohocken.