Donald Ross Fox

It is with sad and yet hope-filled hearts that we said goodbye to a much beloved husband, father, Boppy, brother, uncle, and dear friend, Donald Ross Fox, on March 10th 2024.

After years of declining health and two weeks in critical care for liver and kidney failure, his wife Nancy, and daughters Janna, and Christiane were at his side to see him through the finish line. Our hope rests on God’s promise that he is no longer suffering and has now been made whole.

Don was born on January 12th 1953 to the late Ray & Helen Fox, in Trenton, Ontario, where he spent his childhood. Following a move to Dartmouth, Nova Scotia during his teen years, Don quickly developed the heart of a Maritimer.

Fox family stories are full of Don’s fun-loving, impulsive and mischievous spirit. This characterised his whole life and, while it got him into lots of trouble, it also won him a special place in the hearts of so many.

The Gospel ministry of Don’s parents and the relationships built through his years at Caronport Highschool (Briercrest), the Bible Chapel communities, and Malagash Bible Camp were formative to his faith in Jesus which remained ever-present to the end of his life.

During a Commerce degree at Dalhousie University, Don met Nancy (Ellis) through mutual friends. They married soon after in 1975, giving them almost 49 years of married life. Together they raised what would be his greatest achievements, their two beautiful daughters Janna & Christiane. They are his legacy and he was (and will continue to be) their greatest cheerleader throughout their lives.

His larger-than-life personality and humor served him well in his professional life where he served the public in banking, weight-loss coaching, large haul truck sales, and lastly in real estate. He was a sales man at heart, an influencer, in the many circles in which he worked and lived. He had a life-long gift of warmth, always making people feel that they really mattered and that he believed in them.

Don enjoyed a range of different hobbies and interests and followed NASCAR races and professional sports. He enjoyed time outside - camping, hunting, sitting by a fire, swimming in the lake and ocean – as well as singing harmonies, and passed these enjoyments on to his girls in spades. Don enjoyed good food, good company, and laughter – often laughing to the point of tears with friends and family. Oh, how he loved to entertain! Nothing touched Don’s heart to the deepest places like music did.

Throughout his life, many experienced God’s generous and loving embrace in how Don often received, served and cared for others. We are so grateful that he now knows, like never before, how truly beloved he is.

Don is survived by his wife Nancy, his daughters Janna (Peter) Wilks and Christiane Fox (Tyler Horton), brother David (Laurel) Fox, sisters Mary Anne (David) MacLellan and Patricia (David) Romkey, mother-in-law Ada Ellis, brothers-in-law Barry Ellis, Steven (Joan) Ellis, sister-in-law Paula (Ron) Docksteader, his 17 nieces and nephews and their children, and finally his 5 precious grandchildren; Caleb, Sophie and Samuel Horton, Naomi and Foster Wilks.

The family would like to extend special thanks to the Fall River Chapel community for their attentive care through Don’s decline.

A service to honour our memories of Don will be held on Saturday, March 16th at 3:30pm at St. John’s United Church, Fall River, NS. The service will be live-streamed through the Fall River Chapel YouTube channel (http://www.youtube.com/@fallriverchapel7446), and will be recorded for viewing at a later time.

In lieu of flowers, those wishing to honour Don’s memory may do so through a donation to SIM South Sudan Doro Clinic Project (https://donations.sim.ca/projects/SIMDoroClinic), to MSC Canada for Lighthouse of Hope Camp, Ecuador (https://msccanada.org/donee/faro-de-esperanza/), and Malagash Bible Camp (https://www.malagashbiblecamp.com/donate).