Dennis Fox

Dennis Ralph Fox, an avid fisherman, lover of coffee and favorite uncle to his numerous nieces and nephews, died March 6, 2018, in Lakewood, Colo. He was 86. Known as Denny or just plain Den to all who loved him, he was always there for anyone needing a babysitter, some fishing advice, or just a hug. Den was born on March 12, 1931, in McCook Nebraska, the third of seven children born to Ralph Lee Fox and Faye McHale Fox. He traveled back east with his parents, growing up in Bristol, Connecticut and living in Gainesville, Florida before settling with his folks in Denver. A lifelong confirmed bachelor and proud of it, Denny served in the Air Force from 1951 to 1952, stationed on Long Island during the Korean conflict, and was in the Connecticut Air National Guard after that. Most of his career was spent working at the Martin Company, later Martin Marietta and Lockheed Martin, for 46 years. As a material specialist, he supported some of the most high-profile projects during the Space Age, including the Titan program that launched the Gemini capsules, the Viking landers that set down on Mars, and the space shuttle program. He supplied surplus space shuttle paint for a niece’s car and valuable Viking materials for college astronomy projects. In his free time, Den took care of nieces and nephews, perfected the art of fly-tying and fly-fishing, and hit every trout stream he could in Colorado, Wyoming, Idaho and Montana. He was unfailingly thoughtful, truly humble and always put others before himself. James Kemp remembers how his Uncle Denny taught him to drive on a fishing trip in the mountains. “We get to the base of Berthoud Pass and he pulls over and he says, ‘OK — you drive,’” Kemp remembered. “In those days Berthoud pass didn’t have a lot of guard rails. So I am trying to keep the car running going up this hill and I had great incentive to stay on the road.” Kemp was 14, but that was a minor detail for Denny, who figured both he and his young nephew would benefit from the arrangement. “His way of thinking was, ‘That’s great. I’ve taught him how to drive. So now when we go fishing I don’t have to drive’,” Kemp said. After he retired, Denny specialized in caring for any relatives who needed a safe haven, a loan or a shoulder to cry on. He went fishing as often as he could and joined dear friends and fellow retirees for coffee every morning at McDonald’s. Dennis was predeceased by his parents and his sister Shirley, as well as his brothers Arnie, Martin, and Dean. Dennis is survived by his sister Sandra and her husband Dennis Sanford; his sister Marilyn and his sister-in-law Roxie Fox, as well as many nieces, nephews and grand-nieces and nephews.