John W. Fox

John W. Fox, age 96, passed away peacefully on Sunday, July 31, 2022 at Four Seasons Retirement Center surrounded by his loving family. John was born on January 9, 1926 in Atlanta, Indiana, the 10th of 12 children, to Arthur and Maggie Fox. He always said he was a simple man, his beginnings demonstrated that. He married his high school sweetheart, Rosemary Duchemin, on March 5, 1948. They are survived by 5 children, Mark (Elizabeth), Daniel (Debra), Thomas, Jeffrey (Robin) and Nancy, 10 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by wife Rosemary, daughter-in-law Kathy and all of his siblings. As he moved through his life, it grew more complex and eventful. Serving in WWII with the US Navy, he was finally stationed in the Philippines. After his honorable discharge, he studied at the Indiana School of Mortuary Sciences and was part owner of the Barkes & Fox Funeral Home. He later became an agent with Prudential Insurance Company and proudly earned his Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU) degree. He enjoyed sharing his experiences in life insurance by mentoring others in CLU classes for many years. After retirement from Prudential, he built his own life & health insurance business, Fox Insurance in downtown Columbus. John earned many accolades, such as being appointed by Mayor Fred Armstrong to chair the Insurance & Review Committee. He retired from this committee after several years and was awarded a Key to the City by the Mayor. His past affiliations include Lion’s Club, Rotary, Big Brothers and Big Sisters, Harrison Lake Country Club and Indiana’s CLU chapter. He served as president of each of these organizations. He was a member of First United Methodist Church in Columbus. His interests included an ever growing extended family, golf, travel around the world and woodworking, where he made a full portfolio of projects for family and friends. Before his disease (CMT) set in, he could be seen all over town as one of the first runners in the early 70’s picking up pennies as he ran. He was a friend to many, and led a very rich life from his humble beginnings until his death. A memorial service will be at 5:00 p.m. Thursday, August 4, 2022 at the Jewell – Rittman Family Funeral Home. Visitation will be from 3:00 p.m. until time of service Thursday. Memorials may be made to CMT Research Foundation, Our Hospice of South Central Indiana or Big Brothers Big Sisters of South Central Indiana. You are invited to send a message to the family via the internet. www.jewellrittman.com