John William Fox

John William Fox, age 77 of Edenton, NC, died on Sunday, May 24th of esophageal cancer complications. He was the husband of Susan Muse McCotter Fox. John was born in Philadelphia, PA, on June 4, 1937, son of Barclay Walton and Ruth Fillman Fox. At four months old, he moved to Westfield, NJ. He attended Westfield schools until 1951 when he went to Mercersburg Academy. He graduated from Mercersburg in 1955, and from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1959 with a B.S. in Economic Theory. He ran track during high school and college. John served two years in the U.S. Army as finance officer, with 13 months in Korea. Returning home from service, John married Susan McCotter on December 8, 1962, in New Bern, NC. John was employed as dispatcher with Anchor Motor Freight until he joined Linden Investment Company. For 35 years, he and his brother managed commercial real estate investments. John Fox believed in giving back to his community. He belonged to Linden Rotary Club for 30 years and helped develop "Be An Angel", a project to help the needy at Christmastime. He was a board member of Axia Federal Savings Bank for 30 years. Active in the Union County Chamber of Commerce, he served as Chairman of the Board. In Westfield, NJ, Mr. Fox served the First United Methodist Church. He headed the Property Management Committee and helped spearhead fundraising to make the four-story building handicap accessible. The organization closest to his heart was Children's Specialized Hospital, Mountainside, NJ, a pediatric rehabilitation hospital. He served on the Board 17 years and chaired it for his last four. He was instrumental in the formation of the hospital's partnership with Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, New Brunswick, NJ. The combination produced the largest pediatric rehabilitation hospital in the U.S. Upon retirement, John and Susan moved to Edenton, NC, in 1999. Volunteering continued with local and regional library boards, Chowan Country Club board, Edenton United Methodist Church, and Chowan Regional Hospital Board. John was always attentive to his children's activities, attending concerts and sporting events. He loved gardening, traveling, and playing golf. His favorite pastimes were sailing and spending time with family. For the past 41 years John and Susan traveled the globe by ship. Mr. Fox liked nothing better than being at sea; sitting on deck with a book or his needlepoint, watching and listening to the water. The last twenty years of his life, he created original needlepoint works, the best of which are now displayed at the Shepard-Pruden Library the month of June. His wife of 52 years survives with his children, Susan Fox Tedford (Andrew), Old Greenwich, CT; James Walton Fox, Trout Creek, NY and Paris, France; three grandchildren, Owen, Alison, and Megan Tedford; one brother, Barclay Fillman Fox, Stuart, FL; and many nieces and nephews. A quiet man, John Fox was generous, caring, slow to anger, yet deeply sentimental. He will be greatly missed. In lieu of flowers, please send memorial contributions to the Edenton United Methodist Church's Building Fund, 225 Virginia Road, Edenton, NC 27932. Other options include donations to your local food pantry, Boys & Girls Club or another favorite charity. Online condolences may be made by visiting www.millerfhc.com.