Mary Alice Fox
January 1, 1923 ~ July 5, 2007
Raleigh, North Carolina: Thursday, July 5, 2007 at age 84. Predeceased by her husband, George Fox. She is survived by her daughters, Joanne (Bill) Fox-Ziegler of Raleigh, NC and Colleen (Ken) Johnson of Atlanta, GA; three granddaughters, Kelly, Katie and Kristen Johnson; sisters, Betty (Gordon) Johnson, Theresa Spurling and Dorothea Twohig; brother, David Johnson; many nieces and nephews. Mary was a resident of Greece, New York until March 2007.
Friends may call, Thursday 4-7 P.M. at Vay-Schleich & Meeson Funeral Home, 1075 Long Pond Road. Her Funeral Mass will be celebrated Friday, 9:30 A.M. at St. John the Evangelist Church, 2400 Ridge Road West. Interment in Holy Sepulchre Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, those wishing may make contributions to the Alzheimer's Foundation of America, 322 Eighth Avenue, 7th Floor, New York NY 10001 or to a charity of your choice in her memory.
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I remember Aunt Mary and the wonderful Aunt that she was. My brother Kevin and I enjoyed visiting her, Uncle George and Colleen and Joanne when we were young. We also had a great time with Aunt Mary and the family during our picnics, etc. at Grandma and Grandpa Johnson’s. Great memories.
I send my heartfelt sympathies and warmest wishes of comfort to my cousins Joanne and Colleen as well as Uncle Dave, Aunt Betty, Aunt Theresa. and Aunt Dotie.
I would love to see you all again.
Tim Johnson (and family).
I would like to express my sincere condolences at the passing of my Aunt Mary Alice. Uncle David had some wonderful pictures of my family when they were younger. We had a great time seeing all the pictures. They brought back fond memories. I apologize for not attending the funeral service.
Anne (Johnson) Parker
179 Skycrest Drive
Rochester, NY 14616
865-6129
So very sorry to hear about Mrs Fox’s passing. Our thoughts are with you even though we couldn’t be there in person.
Jan and Mike Ziegler
Some members of Mary’s family asked that I post the text of my remarks at Mary’s funeral. Here they are.
Mary Alice Johnson. Daughter and sister.
Mary Alice Fox. Wife and Mother.
Aunt Mary and Grandma. Relative and family member.
Mary Fox. Friend and neighbor.
Mary filled many roles in the lives of those who knew her. I knew her as my Mother in Law. Many of you knew her for a longer time. You may have spent more time with her, and perhaps you knew her better than I. No matter what your connection to Mary might be, I invite each of you to join me now in celebrating her life.
When I first met Mary, she was traveling with George. Over the next few years, whenever I saw Mary, either she was traveling, or I was traveling, or, occasionally, we were both on the road. Whether she was in North Carolina, or I was in New York, or we were both visiting our separate families in New Orleans, it seemed that sooner, rather than later, her thoughts would become pretty much the same ‘
It’s very nice here, and I’ve enjoyed visiting with you, but it will be time to go soon, and I don’t want to keep you from getting on with the things that you have to do.
Mary always had things to do. Her family tells me that she took an active role in household chores, helped with the family business, and always looked out after her brothers and sisters. As a young adult, and again as a retired senior, Mary volunteered with charities and to help with local community services. She volunteered with such organizations as the Al Siegel Center, the Red Cross, and Meals on Wheels. As a wife and mother, Mary raised her two daughters while working at a number of jobs, as permitted by her busy family schedules.
When I knew her, Mary would be the first to ask ‘Can I help you with anything.’Âť Most of you know that Mary moved to North Carolina to be closer to Joanne and me. Even though she physically could not help with many of our household chores, she still asked Joanne and me ‘Can I help you with that?’Âť when we would have her over to our home for dinner. Mary genuinely cared about helping others.
Mary always had places to go. She traveled extensively with various Kodak employee tours. She and George vacationed in Florida, and camped with their daughters around the Finger Lakes. Mary golfed, bowled, skied, and traveled by train across Canada. Mary would walk or drive or ride almost anywhere because, as she would say
‘I just want to see what’s over there.’Âť
Mary always seemed to me to have a kind word or a pleasant thought to share. She would not stay long on the phone, nor would she engage in deep philosophical discussions. But no matter how short her conversations with friends and family members might have seemed, it was very important to her that she speak with her neighbors, daughters, sisters, and brother whenever she could. Mary, like all of us, did have some definite opinions about many subjects, and sometimes these deeply personal values and beliefs were not shared by all those around her. I’m sure there were times when raising Joanne and Colleen called for authority, discipline, and firmness. You may know of situations that challenged Mary’s generally pleasant personality. However, I will remember and deeply appreciate Mary’s commitment to finding a beautiful flower, a cool breeze, or a pretty blue sky, even when things all around her were difficult, painful, or simply something she did not want to concentrate on. ‘Stop and smell the roses’Âť seems to have been a life lesson Mary learned very well, and put into practice often!
And now Mary has gone on another journey. She had reached the limits of what she could do, and where she could go, in this life. But I am confident that Mary still has things to do, still has help she wants to offer, still knows of places she wants to see, and she still has a positive outlook to share with those she will meet on this new journey of hers.
Please join me now in welcoming Mary to deep, powdery snow, endless spring gardens, totally awesome golf, beautiful blue skies (with just enough ra
Thanks to all who visit in person or through this website posting. Joanne, Colleen, and Mary’s entire family are so appreciative of everyone’s kind thoughts and prayers.
Bill