Obituaries

Thomas Michael Fix, or Fox as I knew him. He, who liked to assign nicknames to others, was himself known by number of nicknames including Big T, Volpone, and Renard. I met Fox in our first year HS French class in the fall of 1960. We were the only two guys, planted firmly in the back row, shy and awkward as 10th grade boys often are, worried about our complexions, which were not great, totally uncool with the opposite gender, and not at all interested in taking speaking roles in our French class theater production. So, we were a horse. Fox was the head and I was, well, the other end. Even cloaked under the costume, unidentifiable to the unknowing, we veritably sprinted, er, galloped across the stage, unable to see straight ahead, our appearance ending with me ramming Fox into a piano offstage, and he introducing some unscripted language into the production. We remained friends for the rest of his life, through college-he was a groomsman in our wedding-and beyond, for our careers. We exchanged letters written in cursive for many years, when people actually wrote letters on paper. He was a gifted writer, witty, self-deprecating, a calculated risk-taker (making me by comparison look a bit too cautious), athletic, smart and so much fun to be around. Most of all he was kind, and a really supportive, loyal friend. Thanks for the memories, Fox. RIP.

Posted by John Norsetter on December 10, 2023