James Spencer Fons

James Spencer Fons was born in Traverse City, Michigan on October 11, 1950, to Joseph and Catherine (Spencer) Fons. He frequently shared fond memories of growing up exploring the natural beauty of the area as the youngest of three children until he relocated to Saginaw, Michigan after age 10.

Jim is preceded in death by his two siblings, Michael Joseph Fons (Susan) and Judith (Gary) Couturier and sister-in-law Eileen (Bailie) Fons. He passed away on December 26, 2024 from complications related to Lewy Body Dementia.

Jim is survived by his wife of 52 years, Janet Fons, his daughters, Alia Fons-Scheyd (Glenn Scheyd) and Marin Fons (Edgar Hernandez), and five grandchildren: Maiya Hernandez, Atreyu Scheyd, Absinthe Scheyd, Delilah Hernandez, and Atlas Scheyd.

Jim earned a B.A. from Western Michigan University where he majored in History and an M.A. in English from the University of Houston. He was active as a musician playing the drums in bands throughout the 70’s and 80’s. While he played in a variety of styles, he loved jazz music most. In his graduate work, he focused on the work of Walt Whitman. His career as a teacher was a defining element of his identity. He taught at Todd County High in South Dakota as well as Kashmere High and later MacArthur High schools in the Houston area. In Jim’s teaching career he specialized in working towards preparing first generation college students from underrepresented identities and was active in the dual language program, teaching English courses. He also served as a faculty sponsor for many academic clubs over the years, such as the chess team, and traveled with students around the state and country to academic competitions. After school, he taught at North Harris and Lonestar community colleges for decades, mainly teaching English writing courses. Mr. Fons was a teacher who stayed late after school working with his students; the workday did not end at the sound of the school bell.

In addition to his career and family, Jim loved jogging, swimming, spending time with pet cats and a family dog, science fiction, learning about the US Civil War, coffee, reading, chess, and listening to music. He was dedicated to following a vegetarian diet for over fifty years and was a lifelong Democrat who kept up with current events, holding strong ideals.

A celebration of life will be planned for the immediate family at a later time. In lieu of flowers, donations in his memory can be made to St. Jude Hospital, Online Donations - St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital (stjude.org).