Latest news with #Maribeth
CBS News
10-05-2025
- General
- CBS News
West Virginia couple overcome tragedy to give foster children hope
After daughter's tragic death, parents take in 4 more foster kids Foster parents take in 4 more kids after tragedy Foster parents take in 4 more kids after tragedy Culloden, West Virginia — It's generally not socially acceptable to air a person's dirty laundry. But in the case of foster mother Kari Cox of Culloden, West Virginia, the sheer volume of her daily load of laundry speaks volumes about her capacity for love. "She's like Mother Theresa, almost," one of her 14 children, most of whom were adopted, told CBS News. "My mom does 99.9% of the work, my dad does 0.1," jokes another. It's a gross exaggeration for sure. But even Bill Cox, a special education teacher, admits that without his wife Kari, their children, many with special needs, would fall to pieces. Thirteen years ago, Kari and Bill adopted Maribeth from China. "Very high-functioning autism," Kari said of Maribeth. "Extremely black and white. The first time she saw me she said, 'Oh, I didn't know I was getting a fat mom!' That was our relationship with each other, and it was actually phenomenal." Maribeth was doing great. "She was valedictorian of her class," beamed Kari. "She'd won tons of math awards." But then, tragedy struck. In 2021, while a senior at Marshal University in Huntington, Virginia, Maribeth was struck and killed by a car. For Kari, the pain of losing a child, especially in that way, convinced her to never adopt again. "Why put yourself through that anymore?...Honestly, people that don't have children don't have to feel this pain," Kari said. However, Kari then stumbled on something that transformed her perspective. "Maribeth changed us," Kari said of her late daughter. "She changed us." When going through her things, Kari found a journal where Maribeth, who had never been effusive with her feelings, wrote this to herself: "God gave you what many may never have — a loving family that will always be here no matter what." Since reading that, Kari and Bill have taken in four more children, to give them 14 total. "Their need was greater than my pain," Kari said. That's the essence of a mother's instinct, that unwavering selflessness that goes beyond the biological to create something truly divine.
Yahoo
21-02-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Maribeth Campana, Boardman, Ohio
BOARDMAN, Ohio (MyValleyTributes) – Maribeth Campana, 79, entered the gates of Heaven on Tuesday, February 18, 2025. Maribeth was born October 6, 1945, in Youngstown, the daughter of William and Helen Daubenspeck Eckert. Find obituaries from your high school She was a graduate of Boardman High School. She worked as a flight attendant for Eastern Airlines and then went on to earn a degree in nursing. She retired as a registered nurse from Forum Health after 27 years. In her spare time, Maribeth enjoyed attending NASCAR races, vacationing at the beach, especially Key West, Florida and going out to dinner. She made a lasting impression on people she met with her warmth, generosity and sense of humor. Maribeth will always be remembered lovingly by her husband, Robert, whom she married on August 30, 1984; daughter, Renee Spinred; son, Kenneth Johnson; grandson, Sean Johnson; brother, William Eckert; sister-in-law, Lori Campana and brother-in-law, Randall Campana Besides her parents, she was preceded in death by son-in-law, Ruben Spinred; sisters-in-law, Suzanne Eckert, Nora Campana and Toni Campana and brother-in-law, Ronald Campana. The family will receive relatives and friends from 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. on Tuesday, February 25, 2025, at the Rossi Brothers and Lellio Funeral Home, 4442 South Avenue in Boardman, followed by a 1:00 p.m. service. In lieu of flowers, the family respectfully requests donations be made in Maribeth's name to the American Cancer Society, P.O. Box 6704, Hagerstown, MD 21741. Family and friends are encouraged to offer prayers for the family and support via phone call, text, email or may visit the Book of Memories at To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Maribeth Campana, please visit our Heartfelt Sympathies Store. A television tribute will air Sunday, February 23 at the following approximate times: 6:27 p.m. on WYTV and 6:58 p.m. on MyYTV. Video will be posted here the day of airing. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
