Laura May Fox-Thomas
Laura May Fox-Thomas, 91, of Fond du Lac passed away on Friday, June 30, 2023, while at home. She was born November 17, 1931, in Fond du Lac as the only child to the late Claude and Rosalie “Rose” (Eigenbrodt) Morgan. While attending Goodrich High School, she was once invited by a young man to go out for frog legs. She declined the frogs but later accepted the man, John “Jack” Fox, as her husband on May 25, 1949, at St. Joseph’s Church of Fond du Lac. Jack proceeded her in death on November 22, 1982. She married Germaine “Jerry” Thomas on January 14, 1995, at St. Patrick’s Church of Fond du Lac: he proceeded her in death on April 2, 2015.
The life that Laura led was full of love, laughter, family, and friends. She was a member of Holy Family Parish, a gardener, a family genealogist, and hard-pressed to go anywhere around town without naturally seeing someone familiar. She loved roller skating, dancing, and playing cribbage. She and Jack brought up ten children in a home which used to be a one-room schoolhouse, and her descendants are spread throughout Wisconsin, Minnesota, Florida, and Arizona (where Laura and Jerry would snowbird). A lifelong traveler starting with her marriage with Jack, she’d been around the States and to overseas countries like Ireland, Fiji, and Australia. Her children were so proud of her when she earned her GED in her early fifties. She worked at St. Francis Home for a time in addition to being a wonderful mother. A lifelong seamstress and one-time 4-H leader in the practice, she naturally supplied each new married couple of the family and each grandchild to graduate high school with a personalized quilt, and for a time she extended her artistry to making wedding cakes. She had an adventurous, lively spirit that will live on in those who remember and love her.
Laura’s surviving village includes 9 children: Pat (Dean) Ziegenbein, Joan (Bill) Ferguson, John (Melanie) Fox, Robert (Michele) Fox, George (Dina) Fox, Terry (Russ) Drake, Colleen (Tony) Rowe, Paula (John) Schultz, and
Tony Fox; and son-in-law Michael Kearns. She is further survived by 22 grandchildren: Daniel (Mia) Ferguson, Mark (Michelle) Ziegenbein, Jason (Kelly) Ferguson, AnnMarie (Nate) Ziegenbein-Chaffee, Dr. Elizabeth (Jeremy) Lambie, Nick Fox, Peter Fox, Andy Fox(fiancéé Heather Bora), Matt Fox, Brian Fox, David Fox (Cecilia Hampton), Jamie Fox (Cherise Kam), Josh Fox, Alan Drake (Katie Castillo), Anthony Rowe (Ashley Halverstadt), Morgan Love, Kelsey (Ty) Rebedew, Jacqueline Drake (Dan Salemi), Jack Rowe, Lindsey Schultz, Olivia Fox, and Amalia Fox: as well as 7 great-grandchildren; Josh Ziegenbein, Shawn Ferguson, Sophia Ferguson, Jackson Ferguson, Octavian Love, Evander Love, and Everly Rebedew. Additional survivors include 2 sisters-in-law; Mary Wagner and Bernice Everson: 4 stepchildren; Caroline (Ed) Day, James (Nancy) Thomas, Mary Johnson, and Patty (Tom) Wieczorek: and many nieces, nephews, and step-grandchildren.
Laura was proceeded in death not only by her parents and husbands but also by her daughter Dorothy Kearns earlier this month, great-granddaughter Eliana Rebedew, and 11 siblings-in-law; William Fox, Frances Gremminger, Lawrence Fox, Sylvester Fox, Gilbert Fox, Benedict Fox, Genevieve Junaitis, Viola Bohlman, Jerome Fox, Virginia Hess, and Elmer Fox.
Visitation will take place at Zacherl Funeral Home of Fond du Lac from 4:00 to 8:00 PM, with a Rosary prayer taking place at 7:45, on Thursday, July 6, 2023. Visitation will also take place at Holy Family Church from 9:30 to 10:30 AM on Friday, July 7, 2023, and a Mass of Christian Burial will begin at 11:00 AM. Interment will follow at St. Charles Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to St. Vincent de Paul, St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital, or the American Cancer Society.
The family would like to thank Lori and Sarah from SSM Health at Home Hospice Services, Julie and Drew from Comfort Keepers, and Home Instead for their care and assistance to Laura.