Warren O Fox

Dad was the fourth of six surviving children born to Oscar and Alice (Hokanson) Fox in Stanton MN. He attended Randolph High School and worked on the family dairy farm. When old enough, he hired out as a farm hand, joined the CCC and worked on the railroad, then found his way to Oregon via California. His Aunt Olga lived on a farm in Delena OR and he lived and worked there, hiring out for odd jobs until he found work as a tugboat deckhand for Wilbur Smith Towing. He met Winnie Graham, the love of his life and our mom, when she visited Rainier to see her friend Mila, the wife of his captain. She nicknamed him “Kit”, a shortened diminutive for Wildcat, the name of the tugboat he worked.

Dad married mom at the Justice of the Peace, Vancouver WN, March 14, 1942. Two months after they married, he was promoted to captain. They lived in Rainier in an apartment overlooking the Columbia River. Each evening, on his return to home dock, he’d flash a light on the apartment and mom would start dinner. Diane was born February 1943, followed within in the next five years by Sandra and Vicki.

Dad and mom moved with Diane from Rainier to Portland for the duration of the war and from there with Diane and Sandy to a rustic cottage on the point north of Depoe Bay. They stayed for a year, while dad was working 20 days on, 10 days off, then moved back to Portland after Vicki was born. In Portland, they had their home of the past 60 years built on one of two neighboring lots. A skilled do-it-yourselfer, Dad finished the upstairs bedroom and downstairs family and utility and kept the house maintained and updated.

The neighboring lot was for dad’s very big fruit and vegetable garden. He grew the vegetables, mom put them up. Our favorite memories of the garden are the later years, once we finally got the rocks picked out to dad’s satisfaction. Dad took great pride in his yard and garden, sharing produce with neighbors and friends. He loved roses and rhodies and azaleas. He shaped a fox topiary in a corner of the front yard.

Dad loved the out-of-doors and we happily grew up camping, hiking, fishing and hunting . Dad and mom took us so many places, often to Minnesota and the farm dad grew up on. We got to know our Minnesota aunts, uncles and cousins. We loved them all and Minnesota was a preferred destination for us.

Dad worked as a tugboat captain on the Willamette and Columbia Rivers for 40 years, retiring on his birthday in 1981. After retiring, he traveled the contiguous United States with mom in their fifth wheel for months out of the year. They also visited Hawaii, and Alaska, Canada and Europe.

Dad loved his family and deeply enjoyed his son-in-law Gary, who, sharing so many interests, provided respite from all the women in his family. Dad loved his work, his home, travel, fishing, and gardening. Even tempered and patient, quiet, kind and thoughtful, he was in turn loved by family, friends and neighbors. He is survived by his wife, daughters Diane, Sandy and Vicki, son-in-law Gary and grand and great grandchildren.