A life in service to others

Elia Powers

Some people enter the military to jump-start a career. For retired

Col. Frederick G. Fox Jr., the military was his career. He spent 33

years serving his country and most of the rest of his life

socializing with his military brethren.

A longtime Costa Mesa resident, Fox died May 11 in Cullman, Ala.

He was 90.

Fox grew up thousands of miles from Southern California, in a

small city in the western part of New York. He had family in

Cleveland, and that’s where he met his wife of 65 years, Peggy.

From an early age, Fox knew the military life was for him. He had

an opportunity to attend the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, but

his father contracted polio, so Fox stayed at home. He never went to

college.

“He was the kind of guy who earned everyone’s respect,” said

retired Col. Rick Fox, Frederick’s son. “He never took the easy road.

He never did anything because it would be simple.”

The elder Fox moved to Perris, Calif., before World War II. He

served during the war, fighting in three major Pacific invasions:

Okinawa, Peleliu and Leyte. He earned the rank of colonel while in

the Army.

Fox was an infantry company commander and was wounded in battle.

He was awarded a Silver Star among other honors, Rick Fox said. After

World War II, the elder Fox returned to California and was in the

California National Guard.

He served in the Korean War as a major and a regimental operations

officer who planned missions. And he made occasional trips overseas

during the Vietnam War.

In 1967, Fox retired from the military and returned to Southern

California. The family bought a home in Costa Mesa.

Fox still remained involved in military activity, serving as the

coordinator for the California Cadet Corps, a high school version of

ROTC.

The younger Fox said his father knew that to stay happy he needed

to stay active.

“We always talked about being honest and true to yourself,” Fox

said. “He was both.”

He was also heavily involved in the community. Fox joined First

United Methodist Church of Costa Mesa, was a member of the Huntington

Beach Masonic Lodge No. 380 and was master of the Perris Lodge

chapter.

“He’s very representative of that generation,” Fox said. “They are

service oriented and dedicated to their country.”

Frederick Fox served in numerous leadership capacities --

including president -- during his time with the National Sojourners,

a Masonic Veterans’ group.

Mission Viejo resident Bob Elert knew Fox for 25 years through

that organization. He said Fox was often doing crossword puzzles or

reading at meetings.

“He was a serious guy,” Elert said. “He was also a great leader.

Anyone who becomes a colonel wouldn’t have gotten there if they

weren’t a good leader.”

Fox was a man who enjoyed his leisure time, as well. He loved

golf, once hitting a hole-in-one on a par-three hole at a San

Francisco course.

And every year around Christmas, Rick Fox said his father would

spend countless hours decorating the house.

“I can’t imagine how much money they spent on decoration,” he

said. “If there was one square inch open, it had to be covered.”

In his final years, Fox moved to be with his family in Alabama. He

was buried at Riverside National Cemetery alongside scores of

military personnel.