Chad Alan Fox

On Thursday, March 26th, 2020, at 10:10 am Chad Alan Fox finished his Earthly journey and passed peacefully at the age of 52, surrounded in love by his family in Aspen, Colorado. Though Chad was at the pinnacle of health and best shape of his life, he sustained a brain-stem stroke that was not compatible with life.  

Chad was born on March 3rd, 1968 in Kearney, Nebraska to Lana (Zehr) and Larry Fox. Even after his parents moved to Colorado, Chad loved visiting his relatives in Nebraska and helping his grandfather work on his farm. Chad's deep love of nature began as he grew up in the mountains of Green Mountain Falls, Colorado. He remained lifelong friends with the tight-knit group of kids he met growing up in Green Mountain Falls. He loved being a big brother to Erin and working in his parent’s store, Mushroom Monday. 

He graduated from Manitou Springs High School and went on to earn a B.S., M.S., a Ph.D in Aerospace Engineering and later an Executive MBA, all from the University of Colorado. On September 14th 2002, Chad married Heather Anne Melton. Heather and Chad traveled to 23 countries together including a year-long trip around the world. During that year, Chad skied over a million vertical feet in a single season at Revelstoke, BC; he got certified to teach yoga in Rishikesh, India; and he realized one of his dreams of trekking for two weeks in the Himalayan Mountains of Nepal. 

Chad settled in Aspen, Colorado in 2016, where he engaged in all of his outdoor passions including hiking, biking, climbing, and most of all skiing. Chad continued skinning up and skiing down the mountains in the community he loved and called home until his very last day on Earth. He loved helping others and recently became a full member of Mountain Rescue Aspen. He was proud to have assisted in missions whenever he possibly could. 

Chad is survived by his loving wife, Heather Fox and their beloved dog Ocho; his devoted parents, Lana and Larry Fox; his little sister Erin Fox-Smith and her husband Gustin Fox-Smith; Chad’s nephew Asher Fox-Smith and his niece Serendipity Fox-Smith; his mother and father-in-law Dave and Sandy Melton; Chad's brother and sister-in-law Matt Melton and Eliane Ste. Marie, and their two children Cru and Beck Melton.  He is also survived by a large loving family of aunts, uncles, cousins and friends, all of whom will miss him dearly.

Donations 

During Chad’s trek in Nepal, he and Heather met a Nepalese family with whom they had a deep and instant connection. After the devastating 2015 earthquake in Nepal, Chad and his wife were able to help the family rebuild and keep their daughter in school. Over the years, the family developed a strong friendship with Chad. The daughter stayed in school and went on to graduate with honors. One of Chad’s last acts of generosity was helping her with a tuition down payment to a university in Canada to which she had been accepted. In lieu of flowers, our family would like to gather donations for the young woman in Nepal and her family. A modest amount of money can change the trajectory of this family for generations to come. If you would like to contribute you can go to paypal.me/ChadFoxMemorialFund

The family and friends will hold a celebration of life when it is safe to gather again in community. 

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