Bull Valley woman who survived domestic violence, became a crusader to help others has died

A former Bull Valley woman, who courageously fought for her life in 2004 after her husband nearly killed her and went on to fight for the lives of others, has died.

Carolyn R. (Cox) Mahoney, 77, died July 29 at Froedtert South Hospital in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin.

For about the last year, she battled multiple myeloma, a form of cancer that she had first been diagnosed with and overcame about 40 years ago, said her son, Kenny Cox of Crystal Lake.

She died days before seeing her granddaughter get married.

“We’ve been through both sorrow and pain this week,” Cox said.

Mahoney had first made local headlines in 2007 during the 17-day trial of her now ex-husband, Billy J. Cox.

B.J. Cox, a millionaire who founded Exacto Inc. in Richmond, was convicted of attempted murder and aggravated domestic abuse for nearly killing Mahoney the morning of Sept. 13, 2004.

During the emotionally charged trial, jurors heard brutal details of the morning Cox beat his wife of 43 years. Mahoney testified that he dragged her down a long hallway in their 15,000-square-foot mansion and locked her in their five-car garage, where two vehicles were idling.

She was found by the police chief, who had been called by a relative to check on the couple because they had not been answering the phone all morning.

Although she suffered mentally, emotionally and physically, Mahoney survived.

Cox was sentenced to 20 years in prison.

In 2009, Mahoney married Dennis Mahoney and moved to Wisconsin.

She also traveled the country as a “crusader” against domestic violence, speaking and mentoring women on how not to be a victim and how to stand up and walk out of abusive relationships, her family said.

She used her own story to say that domestic violence has no prejudice. It occurs in families of all classes, races, education and socioeconomic levels.

Shortly after the trial, she shared the platform at the Holiday Inn in Crystal Lake with Denise Brown, sister of Nicole Brown-Simpson, who had been abused throughout her marriage to O.J. Simpson. Simpson was charged with her murder. He was found not guilty at his criminal murder trial, but liable in civil litigation.

“When Carolyn shared her story, people were stunned,” Brown said. “She was a classy, beautiful woman. When you look at her, you never believe that something so devastating could’ve happened to her. Her story changed the way people looked at domestic violence. She was an inspiration to many, myself included. She will be missed, and my thoughts and prayers go out to her family.”

In their later years of marriage, Mahoney lived a lavish lifestyle with her then-husband, whom she married at age 19 when the couple had little money. With her support, Cox founded his company on an agricultural chemical that he invented.

On the outside, they appeared perfect, belonged to country clubs and enjoyed the finer things in life, yet behind closed doors Cox abused, intimidated and belittled her, Mahoney had said.

Her story was the subject of TV shows about domestic violence, including “’Til Death Do Us Part” and “Carolyn’s Secret.”

After the guilty verdict, Mahoney said she didn’t understand why Cox didn’t divorce her. She said it was difficult to testify in front of him, but she thought, “I need to be able to have a life now.”

She also admitted, that like most women who are victims of domestic violence, she lived in a world of denial.

“I would have kept the abuse to myself until the day I died,” she said, “and that is nearly what happened to me.”

Her son said that after about 10 years, his mother began to taper off on the speaking engagements.

Although it was difficult for her to continue speaking about her abuse, she found strength in helping other women find their strength, Kenny Cox said.

Mahoney guided women on how to seek safety and protection. She mentored women in the steps they could take to bring their lives back to safety to seek emotional health and wellness, he said.

“The violence impacted her life greatly for a lot of years,” Kenny Cox said, adding that as his mom slowed her work down, she began to transition and started enjoying her new life.

He said in recent years, his conversations with his mom were more on a spiritual level around the topic of life, rather than healing.

“She really was in a more peaceful place over the last five to seven years,” her son said.

Her husband, Dennis Mahoney, said he and his wife enjoyed traveling the country by car, and she enjoyed being in the driver’s seat. They drove to all of her speaking engagements, including many to college campuses speaking to sorority girls about domestic violence. He described her as an “intelligent woman and a natural crusader.”

“We did everything together,” he said. “We were never apart.”

He said she grew up a shy farm girl in Missouri, earned high grades in high school and college and was an exceptional piano player.

He said from their first date Feb. 1, 2006, in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, after meeting on a dating website, “We started talking from the moment we met and we never ended.”

“I was so incredibly proud of her,” said her daughter, Kim Malczynski of Bull Valley, who works as mental health therapist. “I think everything she went through probably inspired me to specialize in trauma.”

Today, Malczynski works with many clients from Turning Point, a McHenry County-based advocacy group with a mission to confront domestic violence.

She believed her mom, whom she described as funny and friendly and loved being the captain of her new boat, would again win the battle against cancer.

“She was an amazing fighter,” she said. “So in the back of your mind you think she kicked the butt of out cancer just like she did when she got attacked. … She is going to do this.”

Jane Farmer, executive director of Turning Point in McHenry County, said Mahoney “was an incredible person.”

“She did so much to get her story out in the public and she just tirelessly talked about domestic violence and her experiences,” Farmer said. “It was a real testament to her to get out and talk … and let people know what she had gone through and how she survived. It was heartbreaking to hear that she passed away.”

The visitation will be held from 10 a.m. until the noon funeral service Wednesday at the Maresh-Meredith & Acklam Funeral Home, 803 Main St., Racine, Wisconsin. Interment will be held in Mound Cemetery in Racine.

The family asked that memorials be made to local domestic violence agencies.