Ernest "Fran" Fox
Ernest “Fran” Fox, beloved husband, father and grandfather, left this world to be with his Holy Father on Saturday, Dec. 19, 2009, ending a fierce battle with complications from a stroke.
Fran was born on May 9, 1923, to Ernest and Alice Fox in Wibaux. His family moved to Bismarck, N.D., and then on to Grand Forks, N.D., in 1933, where Fran graduated from Central High School in 1941. The following fall, he began his college education at University of North Dakota.
In 1942, Fran enlisted in the Air Corps as an aviation cadet, where he went into active service in February of 1943. He then proceeded to graduate from Twin Engine Advanced, in Pampa, Texas, where he continued his aviation education with B-24 pilot training. After his tour in the service, Fran returned to UND and graduated with a math and physics major and economics minor. He used his education to run a successful farming operation in North Dakota until 1959, when he moved to Billings to pursue a career in the oil business.
His first marriage produced two sons, John E. Fox of Stevensville and Geoffrey L. Fox of Portland, Ore.
In 1967, Fran married Mary “Lou” Langston Cottle. In addition to Lou, the joys of his life were his family and friends. Fran enjoyed spending time with Lou at their cottage on Lake Melissa in Minnesota, and on all of their traveling adventures.
Fran was the owner of Fox Oil Company and, from the ’50s throughout the oil boom, was active in many aspects of the oil business. He was a benefactor to many local organizations. Fran was a member of Hilands Golf Club, past director at the Billings Petroleum Club, UND Alumni Board member for nine years, UND Foundation Board member for 15 years. He was a Trustee of St. Patrick’s Catholic Church and a faithful member of the congregation for 50 years.
The most memorable traits of Fran were his honesty and integrity, his unending ability to tell jokes, his gifts of grace and forgiveness, and his resilience in hard times for himself and those around him. Fran was a visionary who worked vigorously at everything he did. He had a special fondness for studying medical science and how it could better mankind.
Fran was preceded in death by his parents, Ernest and Alice Fox, and his sister, Alice Rudh. Fran is survived by his wife Lou; his son, John Fox (Elizabeth) of Stevensville, and their children John Jr. (Miranda), Sarah Jo Braden (Paul) and children Payton and Noah; and son Geoffrey Fox of Portland, Ore., and his children Jeremy and Stuart; his stepdaughters, Teri Lee Hildreth (Henry) of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, and their children Kendra and Tera, Janice Schweitzer (Fred) of Bozeman and their children Rachel and Erin and Sidney Nelson (Steve) of Denver, and their children Jake and Andy; and niece Sue Rudh Riley.
There will be a memorial service, Tuesday, Dec. 29, at 3 p.m., at St. Patrick’s Co-Cathedral at 25 N. 31st St.
Memorials may be made to The Fran and Lou Fox Stroke Research Fund, St. Vincent Healthcare Foundation, 1106 N. 30th, Billings, MT 59102. Cremation has taken place.
Remembrances
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