Sutton native Fred L. Fox II, who retired in 2010 after 40 years as Marion County Circuit Court Division I Judge, passed away Monday, November 27.

Former Marion County Prosecuting Attorney and Circuit Court Judge Pat Wilson called Judge Fox “absolutely an icon here in Marion County.”

He was elected a judge in 1970 after returning from military service as a Marine in Vietnam with two Bronze Stars, the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry and a Purple Heart.

Judge Fox was a legend in Marion County, driving his Wrangler Jeep around Fairmont, smiling and waving to passersby.

He got his undergraduate degree from Davis & Elkins College and is a West Virginia University Law School graduate.