When Mayor Steve Anderson told 79-year-old Marvin Fox that the town wanted him to be grand marshal, he quipped, “Everybody knows that just means they picked you because you’re getting old.”
On behalf of Mayfield City, Anderson has chosen Fox to lead the Pioneer Day parade on Saturday, July 23. He and his family have lived in Mayfield for nearly 50 years. He also started the Mayfield Lions Club in 1994 and is still active in community service. “I have loved Mayfield for years,” Fox said.
On Aug 11, Fox will celebrate his 80th birthday. As his birthday parties have always been themed, Fox said, this year’s event carries the slogan, “Don’t be LATE (pronounced lat-ee), I’m turning 80!”
Fox grew up in Salt Lake City, and he and his wife, Lois, were married 56 years ago. Lois has been at the Goodlife Assisted Living Center in Mt. Pleasant for 13 months. They each had one son from previous marriages; her son is Michael Smith, now living in Boulder, Colorado, and his son is Bryan Malone, now living in Sacramento. They also have a granddaughter, Emily, who lives in Denver.
Fox got a job in the automotive industry in 1957, first working for Hayes Brothers in Salt Lake County, and later for a shop specializing in Jeep parts.
He and Lois wanted to get out of the city, and in 1973, he began building a house in Mayfield during the weekends. The project took 10 years. He also started his own company, Midstate Jeep Parts, originally in Salina. He later moved it to Gunnison in 1985 on the lot just north of the current Subway store in Gunnison. Fox sold his business in 2001, and the new owners moved it to Richfield.
Fox was part of the Gunnison Lions Club but wanted to start a club in Mayfield. In 1994, Lions International had just opened the membership up to women members. “We rounded up all the civic minded couples we could and started a club,” Fox said.
Fox is proud of his legacy with the Lions. His projects included the “Welcome to Mayfield” sign and a new pickleball court at city park, among many others.
When he isn’t visiting Lois in Mt. Pleasant, Fox spends his time hunting and fishing, or he his cat, “Momma Kitty” relax around the house, but he will spend time consulting on occasion when somebody can’t find a part for an old jeep.
