User talk:Bigdawg123

Darrell James Fox was born in a house that stood in the middle of a corn field in Taylorsville, NC. He was born on July 22, 1936, the 8th of ten children born to Hettie Rebecca Jane Hendrix and Will Otis Fox. He grew up on a farm one mile from where he was born. His syblings included Will Otis Fox, Jr., Ralph William Fox, Tom Fox, Jimmie Thomas Fox, Odessa Fox, Virginia Fox, Maggie Fox, Wilamae Fox and one that died shortly after birth. Darrell was of Scottish and German ancestry. Eager for adventure, Darrell hitchiked to Charlotte, NC, which was around sixty miles southeast of taylorsville, to enlist in the Marines. In 1953 he was 17 years old and eager to enlist in the service after having seen his three older brothers: Will jr, Ralph and jimmie enlist during world war 2. His stint in the Marines didn't last long. The Korean war was over and he came home that same year and married Jolene Curtis, a young and beautiful 22 year old from Taylorsville. They were married on May 15, 1954 in Gaffney, SC. They started married life in a small apartment in Newton-Conover, NC. Both worked in factories and saved their money. Five years later in 1959, Darrell, having a case of wanderlust and itching for adventure, decided to go to Greenland with his older brother Jimmie, to work on a major highway project being undertaken by the Danish government. So he and Jimmie went to work for the JA Jones construction company that had contracted with the Danes to build the highway. He flew to New York City and boarded another plane that took them to Quogatagog, Greenland. They were their for 6 months and then came home. In 1964, Darrell and Jolene, still childless, built a house together in Statesville, NC. Jolene loved architecture and was very talented at drawing house plans (altough she had never had any formal training). Both she and Darrell drew the plans and built the house themselves at a cost of 12,500.00. Still being childless in 1967, they adopted a 3 month old baby boy for whom they named Randall Milton Fox. He was born on September 4, 1967 in Statesville. Three years later Jolene gave birth to a second child. Another boy: William Curtis Fox, born on August 21, 1970, in Statesville. By 1973 it was suspected by Jolene, that Darrell was having an affair and when her suspicions were proven true, Darrell left. A year later their divorce was final. In 1977 Darrell married the woman with whom he had the affair and they bought a non-working farm outside of Statesville where Darrell would spend the remainder of his life. In 1985, at the age of 49, Darrell was diagnosed with lung cancer caused by chemicals from his workplace. The disease would claim his life on April 26, 1987, shortly before his 51st birthday. He is buried in the Liledoun Baptist Church cemetary in Taylorsville, along with his parents, brother Jimmie and many relatives.

William Curtis Fox, Sr.

Jolene Curtis was born in the Highland mill village of Hickory, NC on November 10, 1931. She was the oldest girl and second oldest child born to Frank Thomas and Lona StClair Curtis. Her other syblings included Willie Eugene, Samuel, Mary, Doris, nettie and Shirley Sue (who only lived 2 hours after birth). Before the age of twelve, Jolene lived, for the most part in the Caldwell county, NC mountains moving around with her family from one area to another. Frank, her father, operated a sawmill and kept on the move where the trees were. In the winter months he took work in the local cotton mills until the spring and then returned to the mountains and his sawmill. In 1943, at the age of twelve, Jolene's parents divorced and her mother moved the children to Taylorsville, NC. It was their that she spent the remainder of her childhood. Lona, her mother, worked in a cotton mill (always on 2nd shift). Lona was verbally abusive to the children. She was known to play favorites with her children, Eugene being the favorite. Jolene always seemed to catch the brunt of her mother's wrath. At the age of ten, her brother Samuel died (1943-1946?) and Jolene was blamed for his death, by her mother. It was determined that he died of complications from polio, but Jolene never forgot the blame she received from her mother and carried that with her throughout the remainder of her life. Jolene grew into a beautiful young woman. The boys buzzed around her like bees in a nest. In 1954 she met and married Darrell James Fox, also of Taylorsville. They were married on May 15, 1954 in Gaffney, SC. They started married life in a small apartment in Newton-Conover, NC. Ten years later they designed and built a house in Statesville, NC at a cost of 12,500.00. 1967 brought the adoption of their first child, Randall, who was born on September 4, 1967 in Statesville. Three years later their second child, William, was born on August 21, 1970 in Statesville. In 1973 she and Darrell separated and were officially divorced a year later. Darrell had been having an affair. Jolene met and married Jim Fitch in 1978. Jim was an Irish widower with 5 children. Jolene moved with Randall and William to Pepelion, Nebraska where Jim lived but 2 months later she and her children returned to NC stemming from the fact that Jim wasn't good to her children. She devoted the rest of her life to working and taking care of her 2 sons. Jolene died of a heart attack on April 21, 1998, and is buried in the Mt. Hebron Baptist Church cemetary north of Taylorsville beside her mother, brother Eugene and many aunts, uncles and cousins.