Charley Fox (1920-2008)

Charley would have loved the roar of the nine Harvards which flew in close formation over his grave site on Friday, October 24 just after Noon, performing the missing man --- followed by, wonder of wonders, a Hawker Hurricane and a Spitfire. He would have smiled and shaken his head in humility to see the strong military presence including officers from Trenton and Ottawa. He would have had a tear in his eye and a smile in his heart to hear the words spoken by his son, his daughter, his grandchildren and his friend, Ted Barris, during his funeral; he would have chuckled to hear their stories and smiled and nodded his head at the reading of "High Flight". He would have loved the Bible readings and the music of the bagpipes as he left his church for the final time, and would have stood tall with bowed head on hearing "The Last Post" at the grave site. Charley would have admired the precision of the folding of the RCAF flag which had draped his casket and the reverence with which it was handed to his family. He would have loved seeing all the members of CHAA who gathered to pay their respects both at visitations and at the funeral, and would have been pleased to see his dear friends from Geneseo who made a special flight to London on Friday to attend his funeral. Charley loved life and always said strangers were just friends he hadn't met yet. If this were a perfect world, we would all take a lesson from this Canadian hero who put others first, who always kept his commitments, who wasn't afraid to show his love for his family, who fought bravely for his country, who spoke with passion to all who would listen about our need to remember and honor our veterans. We thank him for all he has given to us. We loved him, and we will miss him more than words can say. Thank you, Charley Fox.