In Memoriam

G. William "Bill" Fox

The New York Times, December 4, 2007

G. William "Bill" Fox, passed away on December 1, 2007, age 66, at his home in Medford, NJ surrounded by his loving family, and after a 17 year battle with Huntington's Disease, a debilitating neuro-degenerative disease. He is survived by his beloved wife, Sandra Williams Fox and children, Tacie Fox of Washington, DC, G. William Fox, Jr and Nancy Fox Lyons of Medford, NJ, and Sara Fox of Philadelphia. He was the devoted grandfather of Sara, Erik, Alexander, Nancy, Nicholas, Christopher, Sydney and Elizabeth.

Bill attended Haddonfield High School for two years, and then transferred to and graduated from The Peddie School in 1959. After graduating from Trinity College in Hartford, CT in 1963, he joined the family's real estate business that his grandfather had founded in Philadelphia in 1886, Fox & Lazo, Inc. Bill helped grow the business from 8 agents in 1963 to over 3,000 agents in 2003, when it was recognized as the dominant firm in the Philadelphia tri-state area, and the fourth-largest privately-owned residential financial services firm in the nation.

When Bill was diagnosed with Huntington's disease in 1996, he gathered his family and closest business associates, and told them. After a period of consultation and soul-searching, and recognizing that he might soon be impaired, Bill then embarked on a journey to find a suitable company with strong management with which to partner. Bill's search was fruitful and in 1997, Fox & Lazo merged with Roach/Wheeler. This was also a family firm, led by Larry Flick and Chip Roach, who had a strong presence in Pennsylvania. The merged entity left Bill as Chairman and largest shareholder, with Larry Flick as CEO, running day to day operations. After the merger, Bill disclosed his condition to all his agents. This type of transparency characterized the integrity Bill displayed throughout his life. Despite his own personal tragedy, Bill championed the growth of the company, and in 1999 helped drive the acquisition of the Prudential franchisee in Philadelphia. That acquisition doubled the size of the company, and Prudential Fox & Roach became the dominant player in the area and the largest Prudential franchisee in the country. In 2000, he was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award by the national real estate industry at the National Relocation & Real Estate Magazine's Annual Real Estate Leadership Conference.

With the futures of both his family and business secure, Bill, Sandy and Tacie began devoting considerable energy and effort to promoting the organizations that were dedicated to finding a cure for Huntington's disease. This disease is closely linked to Alzheimer's, ALS and Parkinson's disease. They established the Fox Family Foundation that supported clinical trials, diagnostic and screening research, and conferences where Nobel Prize winners and other leading biochemists, geneticists and physicians could share ideas and develop innovative new avenues for further research. Bill also spent increasingly more time with his children and grandchildren; sharing with them the wisdom that can only come from recognizing that every day on Earth should be cherished and lived to the utmost.

Bill continued as Chairman of Prudential Fox & Roach, but realized that his strength was waning. With the same foresight and determination that had marked his career as a business leader, Bill told his partners that it was time to sell. He helped organize the deal team representing the sellers and appointed his long-time friend, Sam Kirschner, to head up the effort. On Christmas Eve, 2003, the company was sold to his partners, led by current CEO, Larry Flick, in a management team buy-out that had the financial backing of Prudential. Bill's son, Bill Fox, Jr. continues in a leadership role with the subsidiary business of Trident Mortgage.

Bill continued with his charitable, spiritual and family oriented activities until the day he passed. He was a recognized leader in community service and served for many years on the boards of the Ronald McDonald House, Cooper Hospital, Core-States Bank, the Haddonfield Methodist Church, the HD Society of America and South Jersey Young Life. He touched many so deeply that their lives were transformed in the process. We grieve for his passing yet know that he has returned to the light from where he can continue to watch over those he loves.

Relatives and friends are invited to the viewing on Wednesday, December 5th from 6pm–9pm at BRADLEY FUNERAL HOME, Rte 73 & Evesham Rd, Marlton, NJ. Funeral services will be held at 11am Thursday at the Haddonfield Methodist Church, 29 Warwick Rd, Haddonfield, NJ. Interment will be private. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be sent to the Hereditary Disease Foundation, 3960 Broadway, 6th Floor, New York, NY 10032, where a special fund will be set up in his honor to fund research to find a cure for Huntington's disease.

G. William Fox, 66, area Realtor

Philadelphia Inquirer, December 4, 2007

G. William "Bill" Fox, 66, who built his grandfather's small real estate firm into the region's dominant residential real estate company, died Saturday from complications of Huntington's disease at his home in Medford. Mr. Fox joined Fox & Lazo, his family's Haddonfield real estate agency, in 1963 after graduating from the Peddie School in Hightstown, N.J., and Trinity College in Connecticut.

During the next four decades, he grew the eight-member firm, which his grandfather founded in 1886, into one of the nation's largest agencies. It eventually became Prudential Fox Roach, a realty powerhouse of 3,000 agents in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware. He did it by stressing a family-like business environment that kept his staff fiercely loyal and earned the respect of competitors, said his daughter Tacie Fox of Washington.

In 1996, Mr. Fox was diagnosed with Huntington's disease, a neurological disorder that slowly attacked his body. He didn't let it stop him. The following year, he merged Fox & Lazo with Roach Wheeler, another family realty firm.

As chairman of the board, Mr. Fox devised company strategy and built relationships with clients and staff, said business partner Chip Roach. In 1999, Mr. Fox helped orchestrate the purchase of the Prudential franchise in Philadelphia, which doubled the size of the company.

Mr. Fox, who grew up in Haddonfield, was quick to gauge real estate trends and adopted practices then avant-garde, Tacie Fox said. He was among the first to put mortgage, title insurance and homeowners' insurance services under one roof. His emphasis on customer service extended to his own home, where Mr. Fox required his children to practice shaking hands.

"We all failed it many times," Tacie Fox said, laughing. "But to this day, everyone in the Fox family has a firm handshake and can look a person in the eye."

He loved his employees and considered them family, Tacie Fox said. Even if he was overseas, Mr. Fox made a point to call staff members on their birthdays. "He did it until he couldn't dial the numbers anymore," Tacie Fox said. After Mr. Fox stepped down as chairman in 2003, he continued to visit company offices to deliver pep talks and take agents to lunch.

"His entire career, he just loved what he did," said Sandra Williams Fox, his wife of 46 years. "He never considered it work."

Mr. Fox led his four children in dinner conversations and always had a topic of the night, Tacie Fox said.

"One night, he said: 'Everybody here has only three weeks to live. Now what are you going to do?'" she recalled.

"I said, 'I'm going to go to Egypt, go down the Nile and see the pyramids,' " she said."Then it was his turn."

"He said, 'I don't think I'm going to do anything differently. I love my job. I love my family. I love the people I work with. I'm going to go to work and enjoy my last days with the people I love.' "

Mr. Fox served for many years on the boards of the Ronald McDonald House, Cooper University Hospital, CoreStates Bank, Haddonfield United Methodist Church, and the Huntington's Disease Society of America.

In addition to his wife and daughter Tacie, Mr. Fox is survived by his son, G. William Fox Jr. of Medford; daughters Liza Fox Lyons of Medford and Sara Fox of Philadelphia; and siblings Frederick S. Fox III of Cherry Hill, Mary Fox Zwally of Harrisburg, and Jane Fox of Mount Laurel.

A viewing will be held tomorrow from 6 to 9 p.m. at Bradley Funeral Home, Route 73 and Evesham Road, Marlton. Funeral services will be at 11 a.m. Thursday at Haddonfield United Methodist Church, 29 Warwick Rd., Haddonfield. Interment will be private.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to the Hereditary Disease Foundation, 3960 Broadway, Sixth Floor, New York, N.Y. 10032.

By Sam Wood, Inquirer Staff Writer