The Cupertino Courier

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Obituaries

Ivy Kathleen Fox was a resident of Sunnyvale off and on for 50 years, but remained British to the core.

Mrs. Fox died on Feb. 29 at Manor Care Health Services, a residential care facility at 1150 Tilton Drive in Sunnyvale, as a result of complications from a variety of infections. She was 91.

"She was very proud of her English heritage," said Julia Miller, her daughter and a former mayor of Sunnyvale. She did not seek her American citizenship until later in life, after her family members had, said Miller.

Fox was born in Staverton, England, a small community of about 500 people.

"It was a very small agricultural village out in the middle of nowhere," said Miller, who was born there as well, describing small farms surrounding old stone homes. Fox's father owned the local pub and gathering place, The Crown Inn.

The family immigrated to the United States in that late 1950s after Miller's father, John Fox, was hired by Lockheed Martin, living first in Georgia and then moving to Sunnyvale in 1958. They lived near Bremerton, Wash., for awhile and then moved to Soquel until moving back to Sunnyvale in 2002.

Miller describes her mother as "very outgoing and fun-loving, warm, jovial, easy to make friends [with], always laughing and having a good time."

For a while, she made some of those friends while stuffing advertisements in Cupertino Courier newspapers, Miller said. She loved to knit and grow flowers in a garden to which she devoted much of her energy.

Fox is survived by husband of 67 years, John, who lives at Manor Care; her daughters, Julia Miller of Sunnyvale, Angela Steele of Redwood City, Diana Rowe of Alameda and Nicola Johnson of Bothell, Wash.; and grandchildren Jason Miller of Sacramento, Matthew and Katie Steele of Redwood City, and Elliott and Karina Rowe of Alameda.

Fox will be cremated, and the family is holding a celebration of life ceremony on March 29 at 1:30 p.m. at Spangler Mortuary Sunnyvale Wyant & Smith Crematory, 174 N. Sunnyvale Ave. A reception will follow at nearby Tarragon Restaurant, 140 S. Murphy Ave.

Donations are welcomed in Fox's name to the Northern California Alzheimer's Association, 1060 La Avenida, Mountain View, Calif., 94043. Visit www.alz.org/ norcal for more information.

--Cody Kraatz

Christopher Place

Family and friends gathered March 8 in Sunnyvale to celebrate the life of Christopher J. Place, an associate with the law firm of Ropes & Gray.

Mr. Place died Feb. 21 at Stanford University Hospital following a 15-year battle with melanoma. He was 35.

Mr. Place began working with Fish & Neave in its Palo Alto office as a summer associate and continued with the firm after a merger with Ropes & Gray in 2005. Mr. Place was active in the firm's litigation practice throughout his career.

"He kept a steady supply of homemade cookies and puzzle games in his office for all to share and, together with his wife and children, contributed much joy and spirit to the office community," said Mark Rowland, managing partner of Ropes & Gray's Palo Alto office.

"Chris had a passion for living and fought this disease with courage and unparalleled dignity."

Mr. Place was a 2000 graduate of Stanford Law School. He earned a bachelor of science degree in civil engineering and a graduate degree in environmental engineering from Stanford University in 1995.

Mr. Place is survived by his wife Lee Ann; daughter Katie and son Zachary; parents, Dr. John and Mary Place of Yakima, Wash.; brothers Matthew (Tiffany) of Tacoma, Wash., and Michael (Mai ) of Stevens Creek, Wash.; nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles and many cousins.

Contributions can be made to The Melanoma Research Foundation, 170 Township Line Road, Building B, Hillsborough, N.J.,08844, or online at www .melanoma.org/memorialdonations.