Former Central Frontenac clerk-administrator, councillor, Heather Fox dies

Craig Bakay | Jan 08, 2020

The first-ever clerk-administrator of Central Frontenac Township, Heather (Campbell) Fox died last Saturday after a lengthy illness.

She was 72.

Fox is survived by her husband of 51 years, Douglas, mother Jean Campbell, grandchildren Emma, Chase and Colton, step-grandchildren Savannah and Raven and daughter-in-law Charlene.

She was predeceased by her son Darrin (2019) and father Glenn.

Fox became clerk of the new Central Frontenac Township in 1999 when Hinchinbrooke, Oso, Olden and Kennebec Townships merged. She remained in the position for nine years before retiring. In 2010, she successfully ran for Township Council in Hinchinbrooke District, serving for four years. She was unsuccessful in a bid for re-election.

She also briefly ran a boutique in Verona after retiring from the Township.

Current Coun. Bill MacDonald was the first Mayor of the new Central Frontenac Township and remembers Fox fondly.

“She’d been sick for a long time and the whole family has faced an uphill battle for some time,” MacDonald said. “It’s funny, last Saturday I was at my grandson’s hockey game and thought about stopping in to see her on the way home.

“That was before we got the call that she had passed away.”

MacDonald said Fox was “great to work with” as the new Township’s first chief administrative officer.

“We were thrust into a situation where there was no blueprint to follow,” MacDonald said. “Things popped up and one of the first things was that we had to declare a state of emergency because of the Ice Storm.

“We spent many nights in the Township Office because it was the emergency headquarters.”

MacDonald said the community has suffered a loss because Fox was “a builder” of the community.

“When we started, we had four clerks,” he said. “Shirley Conner was the Kennebec clerk and decided to retire.

“We chose Heather as the new clerk while Judy Gray (Oso) became treasurer and Cathy MacMunn (Olden) became planning coordinator.

“They all brought strengths and resources.”

MacDonald said that for him, one thing that sticks out about Fox was her sense of humor.

“She had a very, very infectious laugh,” he said. “Whether or not you heard the joke, when you heard her laugh, you laughed along together.”

Fox was named Hinchbrooke’s Senior of the Year in 2019.