Owen A. Fox

Owen Allen Fox, 88, of Sedalia, passed away Thursday, December 14, 2017, at Bothwell Regional Health Center.

He was born January 28, 1929, on a farm ten miles north of Warrensburg, the son of William Leroy Fox and Bertha Belle Butcher Fox.

Owen served two years, from 1950 to 1952, in the U.S. Army 175

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Military Police Battalion during the Korean Conflict, which included one year in Germany.

Because of a dairy judging trip in the Springfield-Branson area, Owen met Vera Austin through mutual friends. They did not see each other again for awhile but corresponded. Owen was working in St. Louis and as he was driving home one weekend, something came over him (like the Lord was talking to him), and he knew that he was to marry Vera. He proposed and shortly thereafter on August 22, 1954, in Humansville, he was united in marriage to Vera Mae Austin.

He received a B.S. degree in Agriculture, M.S. degree in Education, and did 16 hours of graduate credit in the Child and Family Division at the University of Missouri.

Owen worked for the University of Missouri Extension for 37 years, from 1953 to 1990, in St. Louis, St. Francois, St. Charles and Pettis counties.

Honors awarded to Owen during his work with the University of Missouri are: career guidance award for outstanding service to youth in Missouri in 1967; distinguished service and meritorious award, University of Missouri Extension agent’s association, and the National Association of Extension agent’s association in 1968 and 1969. In 1990, he received the Dr. Carl N. Scheneman Award for Excellence in Teaching at the University of Missouri. He was president of the Missouri Council on Family Relations in 1969.

He served as youth agent for 20 years in Pettis and St. Charles Counties, reaching as many as 1000 4-H members and 2300 other youth per year.

His last 17 years with Extension were spent in Pettis County and the Show-Me area involving 20,000 people in continuing education classes in Pettis, Johnson, Henry and Lafayette counties.

Owen became a Christian at age eleven at Liberty Baptist Church in Fayetteville, MO, and was a member of First Baptist Church in Sedalia. He taught youth and adult Sunday School classes for 27 years, and served as Sunday School director for several years. He served as church training union director in three different churches as the family lived in various parts of Missouri. He was ordained a deacon in the Baptist church at the age of 28, serving about 55 years.

Of Owen’s many accomplishments in life, he felt the greatest was his family. He was a dedicated husband, father, and grandpa. Owen insisted on yearly family camping vacations across the US which resulted in many great memories. He taught his family Christian values by example and the way he treated others.

Surviving are his wife of 63 years, Vera, of the home; three children, Ronald Lynn (Mary) Fox, of Springfield, Allen Maurice (Carolyn) Fox, of St. Charles, and Diane Elizabeth (Jeff) Durrill, of Sedalia; nine grandchildren, Aaron Fox, Chris Fox, Thor Fox, Kalli Fox (Mike Rendall), Krista (Tom) Latimore, Kara (Ian) Adams, Amber (Cody) Wissman, Trevor Durrill and Alyssa Durrill; two great-grandchildren, Meredith and Deacon; and a brother, John Blin Fox, of Salina, KS.

In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by a brother, Leland E. Fox; and two sisters, Joyce Carpenter and Maxine Westerhold.

Funeral services will be held at 11:00 a.m. Thursday, December 21, at Heckart Funeral Home, with the Rev. Dr. Drew Hill officiating.

Casket bearers will be Aaron Fox, Chris Fox, Thor Fox, Trevor Durrill, Tom Latimore, Ian Adams and Cody Wissman.

Burial will be in Memorial Park Cemetery.

The family will receive friends from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. Wednesday, December 20, at the funeral home.

Memorials are suggested to First Baptist Church, Missouri 4-H Foundation, or Just Jump Ministries.