Craig Stephen Fox, 62, of McAllen, TX, peacefully passed away in his home in the presence of his family after a tenacious battle with brain cancer.
Craig was born on March 28, 1960, in Kansas City, Missouri. He was Executive Vice President at Fox Packaging. Celebrated for his vigor and enthusiasm, Craig, alongside his family, pioneered packaging solutions which have greatly and positively impacted the fresh produce industry. With great respect towards agriculture and a dedication to industry relationships, Craig served the produce industry for over four decades.
He is survived by his wife, Nyssa, daughter Ashlee (spouse Binkan) Cinaroglu; sons Jacob (spouse Adriana) and Dylan Fox, both who continue his legacy within the organization; grandchildren Sophie, Elise, Ari, and Skylar. He is also survived by his parents, Kenneth and Elaine, and his siblings.
Funeral services and burial were held on Friday Feb. 3rd in McAllen.
Celebrated for his vigor and enthusiasm, Craig, alongside his family, pioneered packaging solutions which have greatly and positively impacted the fresh produce industry.
With great respect toward agriculture and a dedication to industry relationships, Craig served the produce industry for over four decades. After graduating from Texas Christian University, he joined his father, Kenneth Fox, and his brother, L. Keith Fox, in 1982 as a Sales Executive with the focus of building strong customer relationships and expanding territories across the country.
Craig was undeniably dedicated in his service to his customers. His career centered around bringing a personal approach toward partnership, always emphasizing that the concerns of our customers were also the concerns of Fox Packaging. Craig’s individual boldness won both the trust and friendship of brand owners; his charisma made him a beloved industry figure whose charm was directly reflected in the growth of the organization.
Onion industry colleagues and friends – with an overlap in both arenas – have shared their thoughts and some memories with us. David DeBerry with Southwest Onion Growers in McAllen, TX, has been a close friend of the Fox family for decades, and he said, “Someone asked me last week how long I had known Craig. We moved into town in 1973. By luck, it happened to be in the same neighborhood as Craig. Fifty years ago. We were friends for 50 years. Half a century.”
David continued, “Craig Fox was the consummate professional sales guy – the kind of skills that you can’t learn in school. He had the ‘gift of gab,’ some would say. Also, though, he was a good listener. He sold packaging, but he could have sold ice to Eskimos……and tell you 10 reasons why his ice was better than the competition.”
David remembers that “Craig had a really strong sense of humor as well. He could make you laugh when you were otherwise melancholy, but the best was when you made him laugh. That dude could go for hours in a conversation and bust out laughing for half of it. He really enjoyed what he did and who he did it with.”
And he concluded, “I could go on for pages. His siblings. His parents who gave me some of the best advice I have ever received about starting my own business. His sons that followed in his footsteps at Fox Packaging. His wife, Nyssa, who traded texting with my wife when Craig and I once were both in the hospital at the same time. We had to use them to check up on each other. This is a kick in the gut for a lot of people, a heckuva lot.”
Grant Kitamura with Baker & Murakami Produce in Ontario, OR, also shared thoughts about Craig, saying, “I’ve known the Foxes for 40 years, and I always enjoyed being with Craig and his family. Everyone is very, very nice, very generous and very friendly – and they have a great self-assured presence about them that reflects well on their business. Craig’s death is a big loss for the industry, and he’ll be missed by his family and many friends.”
Treasure Valley onion man Joshua Frederick with Snake River Produce in Nyssa, OR, told us, “In my years in the industry Fox Packaging has been the Cadillac of packaging, and when I made the move from Mike Benben and Wilcox Fresh to run Snake River Produce Co., Fox products were already staple items on the production side of the day-to-day operations at SRP.”
Josh said former Snake River partner and GM “Kay Riley always spoke very highly of Mr. Fox and his company and products. Kay shared many of stories about working together 25-plus years in this industry with them.”
Josh added, “While I never had the opportunity to meet Craig personally, I know he was a first-class businessman. His reputation excelled just from my dealing with the company and using their packaging all my life, and to be able to continue that relationship still today is an honor.” He said, “From our SRP Family we send our deepest sympathies and prayers to the entire Fox family during this time. May the Lord above comfort them and be with them during these hard times losing a loved one.”
