a day ago
From the Archives: Stumbling upon a life well lived
Writing a history column can be tricky. While doing research you can fall down a rabbit hole and hours can pass with you having little to no knowledge of it.
Call me Alice, because today you're coming with me, in a segment I like to call "a life well lived." While the accompanying photos show you the life of Boyd Clifton Foxworthy as a Fort Myers businessman at work, on the beach and spending quality time with his family, the story is about his namesake and a life well lived.
The following are excerpts from the obituary of Clifton Norwood Foxworthy, who died on Aug. 6, 2002, at the age of 86 in Pensacola, Florida. He was born June 29, 1916, right here in Fort Myers, Florida. His parents and grandparents hailed from Mount Carmel, Kentucky.
After graduating from Fort Myers High School in 1935, Foxworthy attended and graduated from The University of Tennessee in 1939. He served during World War II in the Army Air Force and later served in the US Air Force Reserve, retiring as a colonel.
During the war, Foxworthy attended Harvard's Business School. After the war, he and his wife, Mary Lou Shinkle Foxworthy, moved to Iola, Kansas, where he served as president of the Kiwanis Club, vice president of the Chamber of Commerce and was elected as vice president of the Board of Education.
Following the death of his father, Boyd Clifton Foxworthy in 1953, he and his family returned to Fort Myers to manage and own the family business, Foxworthy Furniture & Interiors.
Just like in Kansas, Foxworthy was active in community and civic affairs in Fort Myers, serving as president of the Edison Pageant of Light and as a board member of Lee Memorial Hospital for 30 years.
'He especially enjoyed his friendship with Thomas A. Edison and his family,' the obituary read.
Foxworthy moved to Pensacola in 1999, following his wife's death. However, his body returned to Fort Myers for burial.
Survivors include a son, James Clifton Foxworthy, and a daughter Shirley Linne.
The photos of Norwood's parents in Fort Myers suggest that he didn't come by his passion and accomplishments in life by accident. Meanwhile, this capsule of one man's life reminds one that it's important to step back and take a look at the bigger picture sometimes. We touch each other's lives in so many ways – through our achievements, through the giving of our time and resources and yes, even with setbacks.
What will your obituary say? More importantly, when will it be written? Here's hoping it's not for a very long time.
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: From the Archives: Stumbling upon a life well lived
