ALBEMARLE, N.C. — Longtime resident of Albemarle, N.C., Miss Nancy Jo Fox, author, artist, teacher and interior designer, passed away peacefully on March 7, 2025.
Born on August 2, 1932, in Asheville, N.C., she was the only child of the late Katherine Eva Boyer Fox and the late Dr Robert Eugene Fox. She spent her childhood in Raleigh, N.C., and attended Ravenscroft School.
When she was a teenager, the Fox family moved to Albemarle. After graduating from Albemarle High School, Jo attended Duke University in Durham, N.C., where she received a BA in art.
While living in New York City and working at the American Folk Art Museum, Jo developed a keen interest in the genre, prompting her to pursue a MA in American Folk Art from New York University.
Jo’s skill in color and design led her to become the instructor of Advanced Color and American Folk Art at the New York School of Interior Design.
Her popular classes and fully booked lectures generated many former students-turned-friends with whom she kept in touch her entire life.
Jo believed in the Keatsian idea of “the priesthood of the visible,” and introduced the concept to those around her through her love of color. Her favorite — and the correct answer if she ever asked yours — was purple.
In 1986, Jo created and curated an exhibition of folk art related to the Statue of Liberty for the American Folk Art Museum in New York City. The exhibition, called “Liberties With Liberty,” was a success and a companion book of the same title was published.
Returning to North Carolina in the early 90s to care for her mother, Jo continued to design, write, collect and decorate, volunteering with various museums in the area including The Stanly County History Center and The North Carolina Museum of Dolls, Toys & Miniatures.
Jo was happiest while antiquing. She dedicated her life to the search for unique objects that caught her eye — from Nineteenth Century crazy quilts to puppets of every description.
Jo was a lover of Bedlington terriers, and she was preceded in death by her beloved Pixie, Ophelia and Trampie.
She is survived by a handful of close friends and many former students throughout the world. Memorial donations may be made to the Stanly County Humane Society.
A graveside service was held on Monday, March 10, at Oakwood Cemetery in Statesville, N.C. Burial immediately followed at Oakwood Cemetery.
Hartsell Funeral Home of Albemarle is serving the Fox family. Online condolences may be made at www.hartsellfh.com.
