Jerald Edward "Jerry" Fox

May 19, 1939 - Nov. 28, 2015

Jerald "Jerry" Edward Fox, beloved husband, father, friend and businessman passed away peacefully Saturday, Nov. 28, 2015, with his loving wife, Roberta, sons Chris, Ted, Dan and Patrick, grandsons Addison and Isaac, as well as sister-in-law Nancy Giuliani by his side.

Mr. Fox was born in Clark, South Dakota, on May 19, 1939. He was the fifth child of eight born to Marin L. Fox and Lillian A. Goodman Fox. He attended grade schools in Clark and Watertown, South Dakota. The family moved to Salem in 1953 where Jerry attended St. Joseph Grade School and Serra Catholic High School, graduating in 1958. While attending Serra Catholic, Jerry made friends that he would retain for his entire life.

Jerry married Roberta Joan Giuliani at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Albany on Oct. 14, 1961. Married 54 years, "they both considered each other the love of their lives."

Jerry was an extraordinary salesman; he began his sales career at age 11 selling potatoes on a street corner in Clark. Throughout the rest of his elementary and high school Jerry continued to sell various items including hot dogs and popcorn at baseball games. His first post-high school position was as a salesman for the Coca-Cola Co. of Salem. At age 19, he was named the Pacific Northwest's best salesman, winning a 16-foot boat, motor and trailer. Having started courting Roberta by then, he subsequently named the red and white wooden boat Roberta.

Mr. Fox joined the Oregon National Guard in September of 1962. He was first stationed at Fort Ord, California. This was followed by a transfer in December of that year to Fort Rucker, Alabama, where he trained as a helicopter mechanic. He left active duty in 1968.

In 1963, Jerry returned to Corvallis to pursue a real estate career specializing in commercial real estate. This led to Jerry becoming an expert on the 1031 Exchange. Jerry went on to attend many real estate professional classes. Following this, Jerry taught real estate exchange classes throughout the Pacific Northwest. He was highly regarded by his fellow Realtors; his advice was often sought to solve real estate problems for the Realtors' clients.

Throughout his career, Mr. Fox received many real estate professional awards. Honored as Investment and Exchange Broker of the Year, he was the first recipient of the Arnold E. Gardener Memorial Award. Mr. Fox was cited as "leading the real estate industry in promoting professionalism and new concepts of client service in investments." He was named Realtor of the Year twice for the Corvallis Realtor Association. He was a member of MARt, NCE and CID professional real estate associations. In addition, Mr. Fox was the recipient of the Exchanger of the Year award three times for the MARt which is awarded by the Commercial Investment Division of the National Institute of Real Estate Brokers (NIREB). Mr. Fox, Real Estate Investment Broker and Counselor, was President of Estate Builders of Oregon and was First Vice-President of the Commercial Investment Division of the Oregon Association of Realtors. He had also previously held the positions of President of the Corvallis Board of Realtors and the Realtors Exchange Club of Salem.

Jerry's greatest gift was bringing people together.  He was the "Host with the Most," arranging for many real estate quarterly meetings, as well as personal parties.  But his most important goal was spending time with his family. Having a zest for life, Jerry lived life large. He enjoyed recreational and spectator sports. Jerry loved boating, crabbing and fishing with many happy hours spent at the Oregon Coast with his four sons and Roberta.  He and Roberta also enjoyed traveling, visiting many European countries as well as Canada and Mexico. They and their children also traveled extensively throughout the United States. A highlight of the couple's travels was a trip to Italy to meet Roberta's Giuliani relatives. Known for taking pictures, Jerry's proverbial line to his subjects was "Cuckoo, Cuckoo" as he snapped to the photo.

Jerry is survived by his wife, Roberta; four sons, Christopher of Portland, Ted of Corvallis, Dan (Angela) of Denver, Colorado, Patrick of Portland; grandchildren Addison Fox, Rowan Fox and Isaac Justice of Portland, and Annie Fox and Emily Fox of Denver Colorado; sisters Marjorie Mason of Salem, Roberta Ostby of Placerville, California, Rita (Lou) Danker of Placerville, and Jeanne (Wayne Cuff) Stewart of Los Gatos, California; and brothers James (Millie) Fox of Corvallis, John (Sally) Fox of Corvallis and Jack (Judy) Fox of Salem. Jerry is also survived by his sister-in-law, Nancy Giuliani of Newport; brothers-in-law Steve (Sharon) Giuliani of Philomath and David Giuliani of Irvine, California; as well as numerous nieces and nephews.

A recitation of the rosary will be at 7 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 3, at McHenry Funeral Home. A celebration of life will be at 1 p.m. Friday, Dec. 4, at St. Mary's Catholic Church, 501 N.W. 25th St., Corvallis. A reception will follow. Location to be announced.

If you wish to donate to a charity in his name, please consider the Boys & Girls Club of Corvallis, the Make A Wish Foundation or St. Jude's Hospital.