Dominican Sister of Peace Mary Jo (Nicholas) Fox, OP, (92), died on September 19, 2021, at the Mohun Health Care Center in Columbus, OH. She was born on November 5, 1929, and entered religious life in 1947. She served God and God’s people as a Dominican Sister of Peace for 74 years.
Sister Mary Jo was the only daughter of eight children born to Nora O’Neill and Laurence Fox of Lancaster, OH. She was drawn to Dominican life by the women who taught her at Saint Mary High School and entered the Congregation in 1947. She made first profession in 1949 and took her final vows in 1952.
True to the Dominican charism of study, Sr. Mary Jo was a well-educated woman. She earned her BS in Education from Ohio Dominican, her Master of Arts in Religious Studies from Providence College, and her Doctor of Philosophy in Theology from Fordham University. She also studied to become a certified Alcoholism Counselor at Rutgers University.
Sister Mary Jo’s early ministry was as an elementary and high school teacher in Connecticut, New York, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. She went on to serve on the faculties of Albertus Magnus College, Maryknoll Seminary and Ohio Dominican University.
After her studies at Rutgers, Sister Mary Jo began a new ministry as Program Coordinator and Alcoholism Counselor at Saint Joseph Hospital in Iowa. She valued the real-world knowledge of addiction that this work provided and was devoted to aiding and comforting her patients.
Sister Mary Jo also served as Director of Religious Education in Saint Petersburg, Florida and Ottumwa, Iowa. After serving as Religious Education Consultant for the Diocese of Cleveland, Sister Mary Jo returned to Albertus Magnus College as a member of both the faculty and Campus Ministry team.
Beginning her final ministry of prayer and presence at Mohun Health Care Center, she said that she cherished the time to renew her commitment to religious life by associating with “women living their profession as Dominicans.”
She was preceded in death by her parents Lawrence Fox and Norah O’Neill Fox, and her brothers Joseph, Lawrence, John, Hugh, and Carmen. She is survived by her brothers, Patrick and Paul, several nieces and nephews, and her community at the Dominican Sisters of Peace.
A Vigil Service was held on September 24, and the Mass of Christian Burial on September 25, 2021. Sr. Mary Jo Fox was buried at St. Joseph Cemetery in Columbus, OH.
Memorials in honor of Sister Mary Jo Fox, OP, may be sent to Dominican Sisters of Peace, 2320 Airport Drive, Columbus, OH 43219-2098.
To donate in Sr. Mary Jo’s memory, please click here.
To download a printable copy of this memorial, click here.
Memorial gifts in Sr. Mary Jo Fox’s memory may be also be sent to the Dominican Sisters of Peace, Office of Mission Advancement, 2320 Airport Dr, Columbus, OH 43219.