Jerome A. Fox

Jerome “Jerry” A. Fox, 91 of Fond du
Lac, died Wednesday, May 10, 2017 at St Francis Home, Fond du Lac. He was born
in Fond du Lac on September 14, 1925, the son of John and Elizabeth (Benedict)
Fox. He married Dorothy S. Mayer on October 20, 1948.  After 65 years of marriage, Dorothy preceded
him in death on November 3, 2013.


Jerry grew up on his
family’s farm near Dotyville during the Great Depression and shared stories
with his kids of howling blizzards, silo-jumping and the hazards of playing
cards using matchsticks in lieu of poker chips. 
He took up carpentry after marriage and became a general contractor in
Fond du Lac in 1953.  He built hundreds
of homes in the area and a number of commercial buildings, including the Heidel
House hotel in Green Lake and the Brookside Medical Clinic, Twohig Dental
Clinic and Lincoln House for assisted living and memory care in Fond du
Lac.  He also built the Calvary Bible
Church in Fond du Lac and remodeled the interior of St. Joseph Catholic Church,
where he was a long-time parishioner. 
Jerry was a charter member and served as president of the Fond du Lac
Area Home Builders Association.  He was a
lifetime member of the Knights of Columbus, was active in the Holy Name
Society, for which he served a term as president, and chaired the annual
Bishop’s Appeal for St. Joseph’s Parish.


Jerry loved sports of
many varieties.  He participated in
horse-shoe leagues in the summer and bowling leagues in the winter.  He was an avid baseball fan, rooting for the
Milwaukee Braves, followed by the Chicago Cubs when the Braves moved to
Atlanta, and finally the Milwaukee Brewers. 
He was in attendance at the Ice Bowl at Lambeau Field in 1967 and saw
the Bucks beat the Bullets to win their only NBA championship.  Jerry enjoyed cross-country skiing and
golfing with family.  He was a skilled
sheepshead and cribbage player, and a long-time member of the “Unholy Seven”
card and golf club – which was not at all unholy and included several priests
over the years.  Jerry also enjoyed deer,
goose and pheasant hunting. 


Jerry and his wife
Dorothy took their kids on trips to the mountains of Colorado and the Black
Hills of South Dakota.  His younger kids
were lucky enough to accompany them on trips to Disney World and the Caribbean.  Jerry loved his grandkids and
great-grandkids.  His blueberry pancakes
were the best and he was infamous for his brain-teasing Easter Egg hunts.  Jerry enjoyed a good long life.  May he rest in peace.


Jerry is survived by three
sons, Guy (Anna) Fox of Fond du Lac, David (Vicki) Fox of Seattle, WA, and
Daniel (Judy) Fox of Appleton; two daughters, Anne (Charlie) Martin of Fond du
Lac and Mary Jo (Richard) Turner of Neenah, WI;
16 grandchildren;
Amy Martin, Beth (Luis) Luccy, Kerry (Steve Petri) Martin, Sarah Martin, Christopher
(Lindsey) Martin, Joshua (Jennifer) Fox, Rachel (Anthony) Verbrick, Jessica
(Steve) Ladwig, Joseph (Michelle) Fox, Jennifer (Mark) Jensky, Andrew Turner, Adam
(Rachel) Bellmer, Emily Fox, Matthew Fox, Olivia Fox, Jesse DJ Tilt, and 11
great grand-children, Ava, Logan, Alex, Arabella, Hannah, Jack, Eleanor,
Benjamin, Joseph, Samuel and Aiden.  Jerry is further survived by two sisters, Mary
Wagner and Bernice Evenson, two sisters-in-law, Laura Fox Thomas and Janet Huck
Novitske, other relatives and many friends.


Jerry was preceded in
death by his wife, Dorothy; his parents; a daughter, Judith (Steve) Fox-Bellmer;
his brothers, William (Helen) Fox, Lawrence (Catherine) Fox, Sylvester (Ellen)
Fox, Gilbert (Roseanne) Fox, Benedict (Ernie) Fox, John “Jack” Fox and Elmer
(Ruth) Fox; and his sisters, Frances (Paul) Gremminger, Genevieve (Frank)
Junaitis, Virginia (Warren) Hess, and Viola (Les) Bohlman.


Visitation:
Jerry’s family will greet relatives and friends at the Zacherl Funeral Home on
Friday May 19, 2017, from 4:00 to 7:00 PM. Visitation will also be held
Saturday at St. Francis Home Chapel, 33 Everett Street, Fond du Lac, from 8:30
to 9:15 AM.


Services:
A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Saturday, 9:30 AM at St. Francis
Home Chapel. Entombment will follow in the Chapel of the Risen Christ
Mausoleum, Calvary Cemetery.

In
lieu of flowers, the family appreciates memorials to Agnesian Hospice Hope or
St. Francis Home.


The
family would like to thank the staff of St. Francis Home and Terrace and Hospice
Hope and Agnesian Health Care for their compassionate care of their dad.

Zacherl Funeral Home is serving
the family. www.zacherlfuneralhome.com