Robert Thomas Fox (1922 - 2014)

Born 24 Jan 1922 in Albany, Linn Co., Oregon

Died 26 Jan 2014 at age 92 in Lane Co., Oregon

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Biography

Burial

Lane Memorial Gardens Eugene, Lane County, Oregon, USA

Sources

• Obituary

The Register-Guard, Eugene, Oregon, 2 February 2014

Robert "Tommy" Fox 1922 - 2014

Tommy Fox, a long-time resident of Springfield, passed away peacefully on January 26, 2014, just two days after his 92nd birthday. He was born in Albany, Oregon to Lillian and Harry Fox and lived nearly his entire life in the local area. Tommy married his wife Geraldine in 1943 in Pensacola, Florida while serving in the Navy during WWII. They raised two children, Sharon and Tom, in their home in Springfield and enjoyed lots of visits and trips with their grandchildren and great-grandchildren over the years.

Tommy spent 43 years at Southern Pacific Railroad and retired in 1983. Although he enjoyed being a railroad man, his true professional love was music. Tommy formed and performed in several locally known bands in his lifetime, including the Tommy Fox dance band, the Generation Gap (that his son Tommy Jr. performed in with him), and lastly The Silver Fox Bayou Band. He played clarinet and saxophone for several other bands over the years, including the Starlighters and the Oregon Jazz Band, which toured Europe and the United States. One of his favorite events was the Sacramento Jazz Festival, which he performed at for over 10 years. You could see the passion and excitement in his eyes whenever he performed, or the conversation turned to music. It was one of the dearest joys of his life.

Tommy was an adventurer. He was an airplane pilot until late into his 80's. He loved to tell stories about his water skiing, scuba diving and hunting exploits. For more than 20 years, he (with wife Gerry at his side) operated his own commercial fishing boat ("The Tagshinney") out of Coos Bay. He was active, spirited, and lived life fully to the very end.

His wife of 67 years, Gerry, passed away in 2010, and his daughter, Sharon Lillegren, passed away in 2013. He is survived by his son, Tom Fox and wife Sherry Fox, Sharon's husband, Kenny Lillegren, three grandchildren (Curt Wilson, Alicia Bull and Sean Fox), and six great grandchildren. We will miss you, Boompa!

The family invites all of Tommy's friends to a graveside service at Lane Memorial Gardens in Eugene, OR on Saturday, February 8, 2014 at 11 am PT. The service will be followed immediately by lunch and a celebration of his life at the Springfield Elks Clubs, which will include live music and some time to reminisce about Tommy's life. That event will run until about 3:30, so please feel free to attend the celebration even if you cannot make the graveside service. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you make a donation on his behalf to The Traditional Jazz Society of Oregon P.O. Box 7432 Springfield, OR 97475.

Find A Grave: Memorial #124298738