Obituary for Raymond H. Fox, Jr.
OBIT / EULOGY FOR RAYMOND H. FOX, JR.
Raymond H. Fox, Jr. of Altus, OK passed from this world into the loving arms of his Savior at 12:00 am, Sunday, December 5, 2010. He died in the Altus Hospital with his daughter, Karen Bertrand and Patrick Bertrand, his son-in-law at his side.
Services will be held at the First United Methodist Church in Altus, Oklahoma at 1:00 pm Wednesday, December 8, 2010 with the Rev. David Player officiating. Interment will follow the service on Wednesday at Altus City Cemetery. A visitation will be held from 6:00-8:00 pm Tuesday evening at Lowell Tims Funeral Home.
Raymond was born on August 2, 1923 to Dr. Raymond H. and Lucille Fox at 915 N. Main, the family home, in Altus. His father, Dr. Raymond H. Fox, delivered him. He passed into his heavenly home at the age of 87. He and his wife, Betty Lou Bristol Fox had just celebrated 64 years of marriage on December 1. On Saturday, December 4th, 2010, a good friend took him to his farm, southwest of Altus, to see his pecan orchard, in which he dearly enjoyed working. He lived a good and long life.
Leadership was in the forefront of Raymond"s mind and spirit, whether it was leading men in battle or serving as an engineer. He believed in taking care of others and for everything being done right.
Raymond was educated in Altus public schools until September 1, 1939. This was the day that the German army rolled across the Polish border to occupy that nation, and the day that he enrolled in the New Mexico Military Institute in Roswell, NM. He was sixteen at the time, only a junior in High School, and spent four years at the Institute. He had been trained in a Cavalry School and graduated from NMMI in June of 1943.
After graduation, he was to enter Officer"s Candidate School in a Cavalry School in Ft. Riley, KS. Since the Army was disbanding the use of cavalry units in war, he could not report to Ft. Riley. Instead, Raymond worked in the oil fields the summer of 1943 and reported to Ft. Benning, GA to be inducted into the infantry in the fall of that year. Since the NMMI cadets had not been trained as infantrymen, they spent seventeen weeks in basic training before entering OCS at Ft. Benning. He graduated as a 2nd Lt. infantryman in March of 1944. From this time on until he was discharged from the U.S. Army in 1953, off and on he served the nation as a soldier.
During his stint in WWII, Raymond served in the European Theatre as a Lieutenant with the 42nd Division, the 101st Infantry Regiment, and the 83rd Division. He was first sent to Bristol, England but actually entered into battle in the Battle of Lorraine, France in November of 1944. On December 1, 1944, he was wounded at Sarre Union, France and was later evacuated to England. On the evacuation troop train to Le Harve, France, it was a surprise to all the men that Marlene Dietrich was a Red Cross aide handing out cigarettes to the wounded on the train. He recuperated in England, only to return to battle nine months later.
In early April of 1945, he returned to the front as a Company Commander with E Company with the 101st Infantry Regiment in Germany. After the surrender of Germany to the Allied forces, he was stationed in both Switzerland and Austria. He returned to the states for discharge from active duty in August of 1946; however he remained in the Army Reserves.
On December 1, 1946, he married the love of his life, Betty Bristol in Altus. Raymond and Betty established their home in Norman where he finished his college degree as a Civil Engineer at the University of Oklahoma. They had two boys, Raymond H. Fox III (Chip), and James Steven Fox before he was called back into active duty in June of 1951 to serve in the Korean War. He served at Camp Drake in the 43rd Engineering Battalion in Japan. Raymond was finally discharged from the U.S. Army in 1953. He received the Purple Heart and two Bronze Stars.
After being permanently discharged from the service, he returned to Altus to rear his family and pursue his professional career. Their daughter Karen Fox Bertrand was born in Altus in 1963 and still resides in Altus.
He served Altus as their City Engineer in 1955. Raymond established Fox Engineering in 1958 and partnered with A.E. Drechsler to form Fox and Drechsler Civil Engineers in 1960. He retired from the firm in 2005. He was very active in building bridges and water districts for the greater Southwestern Oklahoma area.
Raymond, a life-long member of the First United Methodist Church in Altus and served in many capacities in the church. He knew and loved his Lord. Often, he shared with his sister the many miracles that he experienced on the battlefield. He attributed his praying Mother for the angels watching over him during the war and the Divine Intervention that saved his life on so many occasions. He wrote about some of these in his memoirs. In 1996, he penned his story of WWII in a book entitled, "I Remember . . ."
One of his passions was his pecan orchard. He spent many long hours nurturing the pecan trees. The family selected a casket made of pecan wood for his burial. His father taught him to hunt and fish and these he enjoyed all of his life. He passed this on to his boys.
Those surviving Raymond are his wife, Betty, and their three children, Chip and his wife Leigh of Cordova, TN; Steve and his wife Kathy of Ardmore OK; and Karen Bertrand and her husband Patrick of Altus. He left four grandchildren, Courtney Fox Bukas, Daisy Fox, both of Tampa, FL, Tucker Fox of Cordova, TN, and Matthew Fox of Ardmore; his sister, Mary Fox Murphy and her husband Wyche Murphy of Stillwater; his remaining cousins Jim Jennings of Maryland, Carleta Wilkie of Ohio, Beverly Morris of Alabama, and Sarah Caldwell of Orange Beach, AL; along with many nieces and nephews who loved him.
Raymond Fox will always be remembered for being a bit on the contrary side. Yes, with everyone, but he was well respected and dearly loved by many. There was never any doubt where one stood with him"or what his opinion was on a subject. One of his favorite sayings was, "I may be wrong, but I am never in doubt."
In 2003, his family planned a special 80th birthday party. He continually admonished the family for having it, lamenting, "no one will come." Over 300 friends and family attended to honor him and celebrate with Raymond his 80 years of life.
He was first and foremost a soldier, with the thoughts and traumas of WWII never far from memory. In July of 1997, his son Chip and wife Leigh Fox made it possible for Raymond and Betty to retrace his first seventeen days of combat before being wounded in December of 1944. Raymond returned to the small hamlets in the Lorraine region of France. He even located the area where he was wounded in the Bannoholtz Woods.
In a local pub he met a man who was 16 years old in November of 1944. The man remembered and related in his broken English the exact date of November 27, 1944 when the American troops entered his town of Domnom, France, and drove the German out. Raymond also located a house, where as company commander, he set up headquarters. The home now belongs to a school principal who happened to speak English. Raymond asked to see the fireplace in the house and she replied they had just remodeled and had taken it out. This trip proved to be a healing experience for him that he needed for so many years.
Most of all Raymond Fox was a patriot and a soldier; that is the way he would have wanted to be remembered. He was loyal and faithful to his God, his family and his country.
12/08/2010
1:00 PM
Funeral
First United Methodist Church
Altus
OK
Read More
Raymond H. Fox, Jr. of Altus, OK passed from this world into the loving arms of his Savior at 12:00 am, Sunday, December 5, 2010. He died in the Altus Hospital with his daughter, Karen Bertrand and Patrick Bertrand, his son-in-law at his side.
Services will be held at the First United Methodist Church in Altus, Oklahoma at 1:00 pm Wednesday, December 8, 2010 with the Rev. David Player officiating. Interment will follow the service on Wednesday at Altus City Cemetery. A visitation will be held from 6:00-8:00 pm Tuesday evening at Lowell Tims Funeral Home.
Raymond was born on August 2, 1923 to Dr. Raymond H. and Lucille Fox at 915 N. Main, the family home, in Altus. His father, Dr. Raymond H. Fox, delivered him. He passed into his heavenly home at the age of 87. He and his wife, Betty Lou Bristol Fox had just celebrated 64 years of marriage on December 1. On Saturday, December 4th, 2010, a good friend took him to his farm, southwest of Altus, to see his pecan orchard, in which he dearly enjoyed working. He lived a good and long life.
Leadership was in the forefront of Raymond"s mind and spirit, whether it was leading men in battle or serving as an engineer. He believed in taking care of others and for everything being done right.
Raymond was educated in Altus public schools until September 1, 1939. This was the day that the German army rolled across the Polish border to occupy that nation, and the day that he enrolled in the New Mexico Military Institute in Roswell, NM. He was sixteen at the time, only a junior in High School, and spent four years at the Institute. He had been trained in a Cavalry School and graduated from NMMI in June of 1943.
After graduation, he was to enter Officer"s Candidate School in a Cavalry School in Ft. Riley, KS. Since the Army was disbanding the use of cavalry units in war, he could not report to Ft. Riley. Instead, Raymond worked in the oil fields the summer of 1943 and reported to Ft. Benning, GA to be inducted into the infantry in the fall of that year. Since the NMMI cadets had not been trained as infantrymen, they spent seventeen weeks in basic training before entering OCS at Ft. Benning. He graduated as a 2nd Lt. infantryman in March of 1944. From this time on until he was discharged from the U.S. Army in 1953, off and on he served the nation as a soldier.
During his stint in WWII, Raymond served in the European Theatre as a Lieutenant with the 42nd Division, the 101st Infantry Regiment, and the 83rd Division. He was first sent to Bristol, England but actually entered into battle in the Battle of Lorraine, France in November of 1944. On December 1, 1944, he was wounded at Sarre Union, France and was later evacuated to England. On the evacuation troop train to Le Harve, France, it was a surprise to all the men that Marlene Dietrich was a Red Cross aide handing out cigarettes to the wounded on the train. He recuperated in England, only to return to battle nine months later.
In early April of 1945, he returned to the front as a Company Commander with E Company with the 101st Infantry Regiment in Germany. After the surrender of Germany to the Allied forces, he was stationed in both Switzerland and Austria. He returned to the states for discharge from active duty in August of 1946; however he remained in the Army Reserves.
On December 1, 1946, he married the love of his life, Betty Bristol in Altus. Raymond and Betty established their home in Norman where he finished his college degree as a Civil Engineer at the University of Oklahoma. They had two boys, Raymond H. Fox III (Chip), and James Steven Fox before he was called back into active duty in June of 1951 to serve in the Korean War. He served at Camp Drake in the 43rd Engineering Battalion in Japan. Raymond was finally discharged from the U.S. Army in 1953. He received the Purple Heart and two Bronze Stars.
After being permanently discharged from the service, he returned to Altus to rear his family and pursue his professional career. Their daughter Karen Fox Bertrand was born in Altus in 1963 and still resides in Altus.
He served Altus as their City Engineer in 1955. Raymond established Fox Engineering in 1958 and partnered with A.E. Drechsler to form Fox and Drechsler Civil Engineers in 1960. He retired from the firm in 2005. He was very active in building bridges and water districts for the greater Southwestern Oklahoma area.
Raymond, a life-long member of the First United Methodist Church in Altus and served in many capacities in the church. He knew and loved his Lord. Often, he shared with his sister the many miracles that he experienced on the battlefield. He attributed his praying Mother for the angels watching over him during the war and the Divine Intervention that saved his life on so many occasions. He wrote about some of these in his memoirs. In 1996, he penned his story of WWII in a book entitled, "I Remember . . ."
One of his passions was his pecan orchard. He spent many long hours nurturing the pecan trees. The family selected a casket made of pecan wood for his burial. His father taught him to hunt and fish and these he enjoyed all of his life. He passed this on to his boys.
Those surviving Raymond are his wife, Betty, and their three children, Chip and his wife Leigh of Cordova, TN; Steve and his wife Kathy of Ardmore OK; and Karen Bertrand and her husband Patrick of Altus. He left four grandchildren, Courtney Fox Bukas, Daisy Fox, both of Tampa, FL, Tucker Fox of Cordova, TN, and Matthew Fox of Ardmore; his sister, Mary Fox Murphy and her husband Wyche Murphy of Stillwater; his remaining cousins Jim Jennings of Maryland, Carleta Wilkie of Ohio, Beverly Morris of Alabama, and Sarah Caldwell of Orange Beach, AL; along with many nieces and nephews who loved him.
Raymond Fox will always be remembered for being a bit on the contrary side. Yes, with everyone, but he was well respected and dearly loved by many. There was never any doubt where one stood with him"or what his opinion was on a subject. One of his favorite sayings was, "I may be wrong, but I am never in doubt."
In 2003, his family planned a special 80th birthday party. He continually admonished the family for having it, lamenting, "no one will come." Over 300 friends and family attended to honor him and celebrate with Raymond his 80 years of life.
He was first and foremost a soldier, with the thoughts and traumas of WWII never far from memory. In July of 1997, his son Chip and wife Leigh Fox made it possible for Raymond and Betty to retrace his first seventeen days of combat before being wounded in December of 1944. Raymond returned to the small hamlets in the Lorraine region of France. He even located the area where he was wounded in the Bannoholtz Woods.
In a local pub he met a man who was 16 years old in November of 1944. The man remembered and related in his broken English the exact date of November 27, 1944 when the American troops entered his town of Domnom, France, and drove the German out. Raymond also located a house, where as company commander, he set up headquarters. The home now belongs to a school principal who happened to speak English. Raymond asked to see the fireplace in the house and she replied they had just remodeled and had taken it out. This trip proved to be a healing experience for him that he needed for so many years.
Most of all Raymond Fox was a patriot and a soldier; that is the way he would have wanted to be remembered. He was loyal and faithful to his God, his family and his country.
12/08/2010
1:00 PM
Funeral
First United Methodist Church
Altus
OK
To send flowers in memory of Raymond H. Fox, Jr., visit the Tribute Store.
Thank you for sharing your
memory of Raymond
Provide comfort for the family by sending flowers or planting a tree in memory of Raymond H. Fox, Jr..
Send Flowers
Loading...