Grace Fox (Dirlam)

Grace Fox, 98, of Honesdale, PA passed away on Friday, May 17, 2019 at Wayne Woodlands Manor in Waymart after suffering from a fall at home and complications that followed.  She was preceded in death by her husband, Robert J. Fox, on December 17, 2009, whom she married on March 27, 1947.

Born on March 26, 1921 on the family farm in Cherry Ridge, she was the daughter of the late William Conrad and Mary P. (Downing) Dirlam and was of the Methodist faith.  Following high school, she graduated from Wayne Commercial School after which she worked in the office of Bentley Brothers on Main Street in Honesdale. After raising her four children to school age, Grace worked in the cafeteria at the Stourbridge School and in 1985, retired from the Pennsylvania  Department of Transportation.

Grace enjoyed nurturing her flowers and tomato plants and reading up until the time Macular Degeneration hindered her eyesight.  For several years she enjoyed getting together with a group of gals to play Canasta until age became an issue for most of them.  She also loved traveling through the New England States with Bob, visiting lighthouses along the way.  She was most proud of the fact that she was able to attend the wedding of her grandson, Ryan and his wife Emily, in the Dominican Republic in 2014. She then spent a summer in Denver with her daughter, Pat and her family, and for the past three years, Grace enjoyed the warm Florida weather during the winter months, spending time with her daughter Ann in Palm Beach and Delray Beach and with her daughter Linda and her son-in-law Tom in Punta Gorda.

A loving mother, grandmother, and great grandmother, her family and friends always looked forward to receiving a card or phone call to mark special occasions.  Grace leaves behind a wealth of knowledge about her heritage and her life in general as a gift to her family and friends and was truly a dignified woman who will be sadly missed by all of whom she cared for so dearly.  Her niece, Beverly Fox Martin, quoted it best: “Aunt Grace was a beautiful woman, goodness personified, and a matriarch with an unassuming personality, hospitable, and always kind, with a keen sense of humor”.

Grace’s family would like to thank Derrick, Stephanie, and Brock Bellinger, Laura Savastano, Karen Dirlam Burlein Louie Johannes, Christina Macey, Bob Smith, Gene and Linda Kelly, and Sid and Judy Diehl, for looking after her throughout her latter years while she was able to live in her home, as well as the staff of Wayne Memorial Hospital and Wayne Woodlands Manor for their kind and compassionate care during the last six weeks of her life.

Surviving are her daughter M. Patricia Levin and husband Dr. Theodore Levin, of Denver, CO, son R. James Fox, Jr. and wife Diane, of Honesdale, and daughters, Ann E. Augeri, of Delray Beach, FL, and Linda S. Tallman and husband Tom, of Honesdale.   Also surviving are her grandchildren, Melissa Fox Moran and her husband Kieran, Adrah Golub and her husband, Brian, Rachael Levin and her partner, James Hinton, Ryan Tallman and his wife, Emily, grandson-in-law, Michael Killam and his wife Kate; and her nine great grandchildren, Kieran James Moran, Lucas Fox Moran, Charles Joseph Moran, Kadin Michael Killam, Vada Grace Killam, Sofie Golub, Eleanor Golub, Carson Ryan Tallman, and Jace Michael Tallman, a few cousins, several nieces and nephews, and her dear friend, Joan Cobb, all of whom held a special place in Grace’s heart.

She was also preceded in death by her brothers, Harold and Ronald  Dirlam, her granddaughter Jennifer Tallman Killam, and son-in-law, Joseph Augeri.

A visitation will be held on Friday, May 31^st at 10 AM at Hessling Funeral Home, Inc., 428 Main Street, Honesdale, PA, followed by a memorial service at 11 AM.  Interment will follow in the Darling Cemetery, in Cherry Ridge.