Winnie May Fox

Thursday, September 7, 2017 | 2:00p.m.

Lincoln Memorial Park & Funeral Home

11800 SE Mt. Scott Blvd., Portland, OR 97066

In lieu of flowers, please donate to SnowCap Community Charities www.snowcap.org or P.O. Box 160, Fairview OR 97024

Mom was born in Portland OR the only child of Walter Roscoe and Ada Louisa (May) Graham. Although an only child, she was surrounded and adored by her grandmother, great uncles, aunt and uncle, extended family and friends. She grew up close to her cousins Wesley and Richey May. She attended Glencoe Elementary and Washington High Schools.

She met Warren Fox, the love of her life and our dad, when she visited Rainier to see her friend Mila, whose husband captained the tugboat Dad was working on. They married at the Justice of the Peace, Vancouver WN, March 14, 1942. For the first year of their marriage, they lived in Rainier in an apartment overlooking the Columbia River. Each evening, on his return to home dock, he’d flash the tugboat’s light on the apartment and mom would start dinner. Diane was born February 1943, followed within the next five years by Sandra and Vicki.

Mom loved living in Rainier and hated leaving, but circumstance forced them back to Portland for the duration of the War. Following the War they moved with Diane and Sandy to a rustic cottage on the point north of Depoe Bay, again moving back to Portland after Vicki was born. In Portland, they had a home built and settled in for the next 60 years. That Dad was the breadwinner and mom the homemaker fit the fable of the 50’s era. Dad worked as a tugboat captain on the Willamette and Columbia Rivers for 40 years. Even though Mom defied Dad’s decree “you shall not work outside the home” by taking us with her to pick berries and beans every summer, she clearly found her calling in homemaking and volunteer community work.

She dedicated herself to her family. She knitted and crocheted, made the tiniest of detailed clothes for our dollies, and sewed clothes for all of us. She was the home decorator and painted and sanded while Dad hung the wallpaper. She sewed drapes, curtains and quilts. She canned and put food by; we ate homemade cookies, not store-bought. She took a cake-decorating class and baked and decorated our wedding cakes. She was Girl Scout or Bluebird leader for all three of us. She was actively involved in PTA and in SnowCap charities through church. Later, she was a delighted and thoroughly engaged grandmother.

Mom was an avid card and game player all her life. She was the ultimate good sport. She played hard to win but cared not at all if she lost. In later years she had great fun now and then going to the casinos.

Mom and Dad were happily married for 72 years. Besides home and family, they shared a love of the outdoors, fishing, hiking and camping. She treasured Dad’s family in Minnesota: his sisters and brothers, their spouses and children. After Dad retired, they traveled extensively, creating memories that kept them in good stead into old age.

Mom was saddened by parts of her life, as we all most certainly are, but she chose steadfastly to first see and appreciate all that was good. She was quick to smile and laugh. She saw the good in others, was loath to criticize and despised gossip. She had a wickedly wry sense of humor when she chose to share it. Mom loved her family and especially appreciated her son-in-law Gary. In turn, she was deeply loved by her family and friends. She is survived by her daughters, Diane, Sandy and Vicki, by her son-in-law Gary, grandchildren Scott, Tani, Lori, Karen, and Bob and by her great grandchildren.