George Roy Fox, 89, formerly of Holmdel, passed away peacefully on Wednesday, February 8 at Ellis Hospital in Niskayuna, New York, after a short illness. A 40-year resident of Holmdel, he had recently moved to New York to be closer to family. Born in Des Moines, Iowa, on January 6, 1928, George was the son of the Kenneth S. and Marjorie Williams Fox.
George was a graduate of Iowa State and then received his masters and doctorate degrees in physics from Lehigh University in 1956. His college education was interrupted when George left to serve his country in the U.S. Army during World War II, where he was stationed at the Tokyo Quartermaster Base Depot. There he ran the non-commissioned officers club and had many fond memories and fun stories of being there with his close childhood friends and working in the Tokyo entertainment industry, where he made many lifelong friends.
On June 6, 1953, George married his first love, Patricia (Patsy) Kenyon of East Orange. They were married for eight years and had two sons, Gregory and David. Patsy died on December 16, 1961 after a long battle with breast cancer. On July 6, 1963, George was married to his beloved wife, Margaret (Peggy) Devine. George and Peggy had a daughter, Caroline, and were married 19 years, until her unexpected death, also from breast cancer. Besides his parents and wives, George was also predeceased by a brother, Robert L. Fox, of Phoenix, Arizona; and his dear friend, Lorraine Heine of Matawan.
George is survived by two sons, Gregory (Dale) Fox of Moorestown and David (Krista) Fox of New Canaan, Connecticut; a daughter, Caroline (Mark) Thompson of Niskayuna, New York; his grandchildren, Duncan, Molly and Hannah Fox and Emily, Andrew and Brian Thompson. George is also survived by his brother, Richard (Susan) Fox of Arizona; a sister-in-law, Virginia Fox of Arizona; and several nieces and nephews
George worked at Bell Labs for his entire career, mostly in the government funded underwater acoustics research division. He spent many years in Hawaii and Bermuda improving the systems to detect submarines.
George had many hobbies, including woodworking, genealogy and photography. In his retirement, George also volunteered his time as photographer for the Monmouth County Historical Society and tax preparer for the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program.
