Fox Haas

It is with heavy hearts that we share the passing of our beloved Fox, 95. Carl Fox Haas passed away peacefully in the early hours of Sunday, January 25, with his wife Evelyn and children Shurley, Toxey and Nina by his side. He was known by Papaw to his grandchildren and great-grandchildren, “Daddy” to his kids and “Mr. Fox” to everyone else.

Born on August 20, 1930 in Mobile, Alabama, the youngest of three sons born to World War One Veteran Toxey and Maurine Haas. Fox’s life was one of loyalty, patience and honor in business, family and hunting. Fox grew up in Mobile and shortly after starting college was diagnosed with tuberculosis. He spent four of his years from 17 to 23 in the sanatorium, where he no doubt developed his legendary patience and resilience. After recovering, he re-enrolled at Mississippi State University for a degree in Animal Husbandry, served as President of Sigma Chi, and where he met his beloved Evelyn. In hindsight, the future of the Haas family was predicated on Fox’s illness and subsequent delay in his college years. In spite of the speculation that his dose of the cure for tuberculosis could prevent him from having children, they married anyway and moved to nearby West Point. Soon after, Evelyn gave birth to their first child, a daughter, Shurley, In the following years, their son Toxey and another daughter Nina were born.

Fox took a job with Bryan Foods. He spent his entire career there working for George and John Bryan, whom he respected immensely. Fox retired as VP of Procurement. Fox was in charge of Bryan’s relationships with farmers across the south, midwest and Texas and oversaw these operations more broadly. Bryan grew to be one of the nation’s largest producers of meat products, and, as a testament to a bygone era, Fox managed every relationship with nothing more than his word and a handshake.

Fox was obsessed with the outdoors from a young age. He grew up in Mobile on the water, running the Alabama and Tombigbee Rivers and Mobile Bay with his brothers Albert and Toxey, and in the woods chasing deer, ducks, squirrels and what few wild turkeys remained. He killed his first turkey in 1944 which lit a fire that was never extinguished. As a teenager; he would ride his bike up to twenty miles to hunt. He later joined the legendary Choctaw Bluff Hunting Club, a place and people he cherished dearly.

When his son Toxey was old enough to hunt, there was still no wild turkey population in West Point. Fox would make the drive down to Choctaw Bluff with Toxey in tow. In the early 1970s, Fox took matters into his own hands and worked with the state to restock wild turkeys in West Point and protect them for the requisite years. This seed stock was used for more restocking efforts around the state.

Fox was known as a gamekeeper and the consummate woodsman.

In 1986 Toxey founded Mossy Oak, an idea he developed at Choctaw Bluff while hunting with Fox. The back half of Fox’s life took on a whole new meaning. Fox served as CFO, but his impact on the spirit and culture was far greater than any job title could capture. Together, Toxey and Fox grew Mossy Oak with a culture of conservation and woodsmanship at its core. This developed beyond the core business into Gamekeepers, a native tree nursery, BioLogic, Mossy Oak Properties and more.

Mossy Oak’s charity event is named in his honor, the Fox Hole Shootout, benefiting St. Jude Children's Hospital, Catch-a-Dream and various wildlife conservation initiatives all dear to Fox and Evelyn. Mossy Oak Properties gives the annual Fox Haas Award in his honor. In 2023, the National Wild Turkey Federation Foundation established the Fox Haas Lifetime Achievement Conservation Award. Appropriately, the first recipient was Col. Tom Kelly. In his local community, he also served on the Renasant Bank and Tombigbee Water Management Boards and as President of the Oak Hill School Board.

Fox is survived by his wife, Evelyn; daughter, Shurley (Bill) Sugg; son, Toxey (Diane) Haas; daughter, Nina (Page) Davidson; grandchildren, Sara Frances Haas Stubbs (Vandy), Daniel (Caroline) Haas, Neill (Hillary) Haas, Bill Sugg (Elvita), Gregory Sugg (Jessi), Anne Peyton Sugg, Jessie Davidson Virgin (Kevin), Ellie Davidson Stevens (John Willis) and Jack Davidson, and seven (soon to be eight) great-grandchildren.

Fox loved the land and wildlife, and he loved taking care of it. His words in his later years carry this message that he preached until the day he passed:

“I believe it’s important to take care of the things we love. My friends ask me what a man my age is doing planting hardwoods. I believe the good that men do will live long after they’re gone.”

In the form of his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, through Mossy Oak, around West Point, in the woods he hunted and all across the hunting world, the good he did will live on forever.

There is no place Fox loved more than being in the woods, and in Fox’s later years, his two guardian angels - wife Evelyn and West Point’s Dr. Ned Miller - kept him going.

Special thanks as well to caregivers Belinda Perry, Latoria Benamon, Pearlina Shelton and Jearlean Cumming, the ICU Nurses of NMMC, the Home Healthcare Nurses of NMMC and Hospice Nurse Keena Kaiser.

Funeral service will be at 11 a.m. at First United Methodist Church, Monday, February 2, 2026. Visitation with family and friends will follow at Old Waverly from 1-3 PM.

In memory of Fox Haas, donations may be made to the Dr. Ned Miller Fox Haas Rural Medicine Fund - a grant program intended to foster long term physician/patient relationships by providing support to the practice of rural primary care medicine.

Checks may be made payable to: The Fox Foundation Memorial Fund @ CREATE PO Box 1053 Tupelo, MS 38802.