Randall J. "Randy" Fox

Randall Jay Fox (Randy) passed away on December 2, 2025 at St. Mary’s Hospital in Nebraska City, NE at the age of 73 years. Randy was born on November 5, 1952 to Gerald and Ida (Hallberg) Fox in Cozad, NE. The family lived in Cozad through Randy’s sophomore year in high school, after which they moved to Kearney, NE. Randy graduated from Kearney High School in 1971 and continued his education at Kearney State College, graduating in 1975.

On December 28, 1974 Randy married his college sweetheart, Cynthia (Crowder) Fox in the United Methodist Church at Giltner, NE. The couple moved to Nebraska City where they made their home and through the next 10 years they were blessed with three children: Courtney, Gabriel, and Clayton.

Upon college graduation, Randy began his career in Lincoln with the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission. In 1976, Randy and Cynthia made their home in Nebraska City when he was assigned to Arbor Lodge State Historical Park. At the age of 26, Randy obtained the position of Park Superintendent, thus becoming the youngest superintendent in the NGPC history. If one were to meet Randy on the street, in an airport, or even on a tram ride at an amusement park (for example), the first thing you would hear was, “Have you ever heard about Arbor Day. . . J. Sterling Morton. . . plant trees. . . .? We live in the back of the “big white mansion”. . . . “ Randy truly loved his job, planting trees, keeping the grounds and house in pristine order, and the opportunity for community involvement.

Throughout his 42-year career, Randy received numerous awards for his work at Arbor Lodge, commitment to conservation and tree planting, and support of Nebraska City tourism. He served on the boards of the Nebraska Statewide Arboretum, Nebraska Natural Resource Commission, Nemaha Natural Resources District, and on various civic committees.

Randy and Cynthia resided and raised their family in the Superintendent’s quarters, housed inside the back portion of the mansion at Arbor Lodge. This offered unique opportunities for Randy to involve his family in park activities such as the Living History events, as well as meet people that they would otherwise never have encountered. It also afforded Randy the flexibility to be able to coach the kids’ sports, be involved in booster club activities, and to attend their events/competitions. As much as he loved his job, his family always was his main priority and he was so very proud of their accomplishments.

The next tier of activities nearest and dearest to Randy, were hunting, trap shooting, fishing, and Husker Football (he loved Husker Baseball, too!). It was always a good week for Randy if the Huskers won or if he shot the proverbial “30-point buck” (note: he probably would have been happy with a 10-point buck). He loved chatting those events up with his shooting buddies. To be noted however, if the Huskers lost a game, Randy would go into mourning for a week to reset for the following match-up.

In his earlier days, Randy was athletic by nature, he completed in numerous road races and four marathons; he also played in the men’s city recreational leagues, flag football, softball, and basketball.

Randy was a man of faith. He lived and loved well. He will be missed immensely. Survivors include his wife, Cynthia; daughter Courtney (Bradley) Dunbar of Omaha, NE; sons Gabriel (Haley) Fox of West Linn, OR; and Clayton (Sophie) Fox of Fort Mill, SC. Seven grandchildren: Addison Dunbar; Ryder, Macall, and Carson Fox; and Collins, Troy, and Noah Fox. Sister, Connie (Terry) Fox-Gowen of Derby, KS and Brother-in-law, Jay (Nichelle) Crowder of Manhattan, KS.

Randy was preceded in death by his parents, Gerald and Ida Fox; step-mother, Beth Fox, and parents-in-law, James and Jenevieve Crowder.

A Memorial Service will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, December 20, 2025 at the First United Methodist Church in Nebraska City.

Memorials are suggested to the Nebraska First United Methodist Church or the Nebraska City Chapter of Ducks Unlimited.

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