Alan Hugo Fox , 89, of South Whitley, Indiana, passed away peacefully in the company of family and special friends on Tuesday, November 14, 2023, at his Lake Wawasee home.

Born on April 1, 1934, in Chicago, Illinois, he was the son of the late Hugo Eugene Fox and Mary Margret (Richter) Fox. Alan's mother was also born and raised in Chicago, and therefore, he had many relatives in the area, most of whom, like Alan, were enthusiastic Chicago Cubs fans. His father was born in Sydney, Indiana, and thus, he has a lot of relatives in the South Whitley area as well. In fact, his grandfather was the postmaster in South Whitley. Alan's father was the principal bassoonist for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and his parents met through mutual friends.

Mr. Fox grew up and attended school in Chicago until 1949, when his father retired from the symphony, and the family moved permanently to South Whitley, into the house that Hugo had built in 1926, on land that Hugo's mother had owned. At that time, his mother and father founded Fox Products Corporation.

Here, Alan attended South Whitley High School, and in this new rural setting, Alan also learned about mowing grass, baling hay, and tending sheep. He developed a fondness for the community that lasted a lifetime.

Alan was always interested in science, particularly chemistry, for which he won several awards. After graduating high school in 1951, he attended Purdue University and earned a degree in Chemical Engineering in 1955. While at Purdue, he was active in his fraternity Alpha Sigma Phi and he was also a member of ROTC, which enabled him to pursue a career as an U.S. Army ordinance officer in Germany. Upon his return to the States, he worked in Chicago for ProCom, designing oil and sugar refineries.

In 1960, when his father's health began to fail, Alan was asked to return to South Whitley to run the factory and eventually become the company's president. By that time, Alan had pursued his interests in business, money management, and investments. With these skills, along with his chemical engineering knowledge, Fox Products continued to grow and refine the instruments, becoming one of the world's preeminent woodwind manufacturers.

Besides growing the business, he continued to increase his own assets, which he generously bestowed on a number of institutions, including Purdue. Always supporting his alma mater, Purdue, he regularly followed their football season and was a supporter of the Chemical Engineering Department, which honored him with the Outstanding Chemical Engineer Award in 1992. He was also a substantial benefactor to the Town of South Whitley and was a major donor for the expansion of the South Whitley Public Library. He also was a founding member of the Honor Flight of Northeast Indiana.

Mr. Fox enjoyed a number of lifelong friends. He was always concerned about his employees and took a special pleasure in his family including his sister Susan and her children.

In 2012, Alan sold the business, retiring to his summer home at Lake Wawasee, where he continued his love of sailboat racing. He and a friend founded the Wawasee Boating Association, which in 1992 merged with the Wawasee Yacht Club. In 2018, he was presented with the Wawasee Yacht Club Lifetime Achievement Award.

He lived a full and rewarding life, with many life-long interests, especially in WWII and boating. His interest in WWII began in childhood when the war was raging in Europe and the Pacific, and this interest continued throughout his life. He also enjoyed traveling, especially in later years with his wife Linda to such places as Paris, Tahiti, and the western U.S.

Mr. Fox is survived by his wife, Linda (Zielinski) Fox, and her family; his children, Thomas James (Fox) Hudgens and his family; Karen Ann Fox Festa and her family; and his sister, Susan Fox and her family.

The funeral service is at 2 p.m. on Saturday, November 25th at Smith & Sons Miller Chapel, South Whitley. Burial is at the South Whitley Cemetery with Military Honors. Visitation is from 2 to 4 and 6 to 8 p.m. Friday, November 24th at the funeral home.

Memorials in Alan's honor may include flowers, the Honor Flight of Northeast Indiana, the Alan H. Fox Fund with the Whitley County Community Foundation, or the South Whitley Public Library.