Charles Winfred Fox (aka Windy or Charlie)

Windy Fox was the first-born child of Ruby Dee (nee Burns) and Charlie Daemon Fox of Okemah. He was the eldest of five children — two younger brothers, followed by two sisters. He graduated from Okemah High School in 1951, and then served in the Navy for four years. In November of 1956, he  married the love of his life, Patsy Fern Capehart. His marriage to Pat, and the family they built over 65 years of marriage, was his greatest source of pride.

Shortly after Pat and Charles married, they moved to California, where their daughter, Patricia Lynn (Patty), was born, and where he began his career at General Electric. They moved from California, to Kansas — where Charles II (Chuck) and James Earnest were born — then Oklahoma City, and back to California. In 1974, Charlie was offered a promotion at GE if he transferred overseas; however, instead of choosing the promotion and moving his family to a politically and socially unstable part of the world, Charlie decided to move his family to Texas. He had completed his college degree in accounting, attending school after work, and so when given the choice, he would leave his career at GE to start his own accounting practice in Euless, Texas.

Their times in Euless were memorable, not only because his work was          professionally rewarding, but also because it was there that Charles and Pat felt most profoundly the joy and purpose in their church-life. For Charles, becoming an ordained deacon was an honor he highly cherished. The kids graduated    Trinity High School in Euless, and then went on to start their own families.

In 1991, Charles’ medical issues made running his accounting practice too difficult, so he sold his business and moved to Okmulgee, Okla., to be nearer his siblings and their families. Instead of retiring, though, he started several small businesses and continued working every day until it became clear he was not physically capable of continuing. In 2010, Pat and Charles moved back to Hurst, to be near Patty’s family, until after her death in 2018 when they moved to Atlanta to be near Chuck’s family.

Charles was preceded in death by his parents, his sister Lucretia and her husband Dr. Robert Holland, his brother James “Muggs” Fox and wife Barbara, and his daughter Patty Noble. Charles thought of these losses daily, and these memories further assured him that that they would all be reunited in glory.

He is survived by his son and daughter-in-law, Drs. Charles W Fox II and Laura Crawley, and their children James Kay and Laurel Katherine (Atlanta, GA); his son US Army CW 2 James Earnest Fox (ret.), daughter-in-law Sretna Ivanov Fox and their daughter Daria Annabella (Chestertown, MD); his son-in-law Barry Noble (Hurst, TX), his grandson’s family — Micah and Chasie Noble, and their children Kaylee and John Micah (Hurst, TX), and his granddaughter Rachel Noble and her two children — Raylen and Kyren (Hurst, TX); his brother, Earnest and Billie Gail Fox (Okemah), and his sisters, Dorthy and Glen Thompson (Weleetka) and LaNita and Dale Brewer (Enid).  Charles is also survived by his wife Pat (Atlanta, GA), whose love for him will never diminish.

Charles felt that his love for God and his love for his family were two aspects  of the same thing. His favorite memories were of the Fox family gathered during the holidays, singing hymns after a large meal. So, his family will be hosting a memorial jubilee — a gathering together to sing, to eat, and to share memories in honor of Charles W. Fox at 1 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 6, in the Fellowship Center at First Baptist Church of Okemah. (For more information about the memorial, please email Chuck at cfox52@gmail.com.) Family, friends, and friends of friends are welcome.