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.

Published in Fond du Lac Reporter on May 17, 2017