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In memory of
Alfred H Fox
July 10, 1920 - November 27, 2020
Jul 10, 1920 - Nov 27, 2020
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In lieu of flowers
In lieu of flowers, consider a gift to Loaves and Fishes Hospitality House.
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Alfred's obituary
He was born in New York City to Louise A. Dollinger and Alfred H. Fox, Sr. His early life was unconventional. When he was still a baby, his newly widowed mother was forced to return to work. Having no relatives close by who could care for him, she boarded him with a Mrs. Martha Ceaser. The Ceasers were an African-American family, and beyond his mother’s visits on Sundays, her day off, he was immersed in their community. Although he later converted to Roman Catholicism and was a congregant of St.Francis Xavier Church, he retained an admiration for the music and vitality of the church he attended with the Ceaser family. Later in life he many times expressed affection and gratitude for Mrs. Ceaser and family, for the care and stability they provided during the first twelve years of his life, until he again joined his mother.
He graduated from Great Neck High School on Long Island with an interest in design and architecture, which he retained throughout his life. In his teens and early twenties, he avidly attended performances by all the greats of the Big Band era, including a young Frank Sinatra, and his favorite, the Glenn Miller Orchestra. Recently, at the age of 95, he got to relive his youth for a night, when he was taken to a performance of the current Glenn Miller Orchestra by his daughter Suzanne.
After graduation, he worked a number of jobs in New York. A favorite story from those years was about a coworker, Mrs. Perske, who repeatedly suggested he should take out her daughter “Betty”. He demurred, being wary of blind dates set up by anyone’s mother. A few years later, however, he did encounter “Betty”, at the movies. She was appearing opposite Humphrey Bogart in her first movie, “To Have and Have Not”. She had changed her name to Lauren Bacall. That was Al’s story, and his family likes to believe he always told the truth.
Shortly after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, he enlisted in the Army Air Force and served during World War ll.
After his discharge, he and his mother moved to New Milford, CT. There he met and married Jeanne Cuddy. He was once interviewed as a man on the street, and asked what he liked best about living in New Milford. He answered, “That’s where I met the girl of my dreams“. For their honeymoon they drove cross country to California. They liked it so much they stayed for three years before moving back. He designed and built their home, with the advice and help of her father, William Cuddy, Sr, and her two brothers, Jim and Bill Cuddy. They had nine children. Jeanne and Al were married for 66 years, until her death in 2013, and he continued to live in the home they made, along with their son Thomas.
He first moved to New Milford to work for Nestle, and later worked for Berkshire Electronics. While at the latter, deciding his children should know what he did for a living, he brought one of them to work on a Saturday morning. This resulted in almost getting himself fired. Apparently it would be about another 40 years before the world would be ready for “Take Your Child to Work Day”.
The majority of his working years were spent at Kimberly Clark, where he worked for more than 30 years, retiring as a purchasing agent at age 66. For a number of years he also worked part-time, evenings and matinees, at the Bank Street Theater, allowing him to get paid while spending time with one of the things he loved, movies. At least one generation of New Milford “kids” might remember him as the ticket taker and candy and popcorn man at the Bank Street Theater.
In his retirement he enjoyed having more time to flower garden, putting out feeders for squirrels, hummingbirds and other birds, watching the wildlife every morning and working on his home maintenance projects. He also enjoyed helping his children with remodeling their homes, where his spackling, taping and painting expertise were much in demand. In his 70s he shocked his family by signing up for his very first gym membership. He continued to socialize and work out 3 to 5 days a week, past his 97th birthday, becoming a well-known figure at the New Milford Sports Club, one of its longest members, and undoubtedly its oldest active member. For all of his hard work at the gym, he would frequently reward himself with a well-deserved bowl of ice cream.
In his 90s he found a new hobby, going to Dunkin' Donuts. Feeling adventurous at 97, he tried a Boston Kreme donut and loved it, proving again that you're never to old to try something new.
Like all people who are graced to live so long, he was preceded in death by many family members and friends, not only his wife Jeanne, but son Timothy, infant daughters Mary and Phyllis, and over the past year, his remaining three sisters-in-law.
He is survived by children, Alfred H. Fox and wife Jill of Monterey, CA, Cynthia Fox of Morgantown, WV, Linda and husband Jim White of Susanville, CA, Jon Fox and wife Pamela of Bangor, ME, Suzanne Fox and husband Terrance Szymanski of Bantam, CT, and Thomas Fox of New Milford, CT. He is survived by grandchildren Jesse and Garrett White; Colin Szymanski; Bram, Ashley, Heather, Christopher, Sean, Derek and Brittany Fox, and Fiona Fox Druge, as well as 12 great grandchildren.
He will be remembered with love by those who knew him best, as good natured and easy-going, loving to chat with everyone, a bit of a procrastinator and chronically late but married to a woman who was always on time, as someone who loved a good joke, who would always rather watch a comedy than a drama, and who in his 80s and 90s would always light up with a bright smile when some young woman would call him “cute”.
The family would like to thank the staff of RVNAhealth hospice who provided helpful and compassionate nursing, social work and pastoral care services to Al and the family in the last few weeks of his life. The family would especially like to express their gratitude to Darlene Siepmann and Felicia Hallock for the patient and loving care they provided to Al throughout the past year.
You can honor Al by spreading kindness and good cheer. Donations in Al's honor may be made to the charity, Loaves and Fishes Hospitality House, PO Box 2065, New Milford, CT. 06776.
In accordance with his wishes, services are private, but the family looks forward to a happier time in 2021 when the risks from the pandemic are sufficiently reduced to safely allow a Celebration of Life. Al Fox always enjoyed a good party.
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In lieu of flowers
In lieu of flowers, consider a gift to Loaves and Fishes Hospitality House.
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I feel lucky to have had my dad for as long as I did. When I was younger, I always remember him as being an easy going …
I feel lucky to have had my dad for as long as I did. When I was younger, I always remember him as …
I feel lucky to have had my dad for as long as I did. When I was…
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In lieu of flowers, consider a gift to Loaves and Fishes Hospitality House.
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Created with love by
Thomas Fox (Alfred's son).
