Sylvia Olive Cate Fox died at Northcrest Community Health Care Center in Ames, Iowa, on Friday, December 20, at age 95.

Born in Payette, Idaho, on December 17, 1918, the eldest child of Sydney Luther Cate and Ruth Kenward Cate, Sylvia grew up in Salt Lake City, Utah. She graduated from the University of Utah with a degree in sociology. On July 30, 1940, she married Karl August Fox and the following day they left for Berkeley, California, where Sylvia pursued Master's studies in the School of Social Work at the University of California. Their two children, Karl and Karen, were born in California.

Sylvia was deeply attuned to the problems of troubled families and children, expressed through her employment and her volunteer efforts. In 1945 the family relocated to the Washington, DC, area where Karl worked at the US Department of Agriculture. Sylvia worked for the Child Welfare Department of the District of Columbia, concerned with adoptions and with children placed in foster homes.

After the family moved to Ames in 1955, Sylvia was a psychiatric social worker at Beloit of Ames, working with children and teens in a residential setting. For several years she also taught social work courses at Iowa State University.

She was a strong supporter and early volunteer with Youth and Shelter Services, for which she was given a Founders Award. Sylvia consulted with YSS and helped to establish its family foster care and adoption program. She sought to strengthen families by offering workshops on parenting effectiveness and family interaction.

She was active in Democratic politics, serving at one time as the Iowa liaison for Common Cause in Washington, DC. In 1992 she was named Story County Democratic Woman of the Year.

Her husband Karl died in 2008. She is survived by her son Karl (Ann) Fox of Pittsburgh, PA, and daughter Karen Fox of Mountain View, CA; grandson Owen (Andrea) Fox and two great-grandchildren of Lancaster, PA; granddaughter Valerie Fox (Tony) Becker of Westminster, MD; daughter-in-law Ellen Danielson of Jefferson, TX; and by her brother Sydney L. Cate of Omaha, NE, and sister Ruth Cate Minton of Boise, ID.

Her family and friends, including her wonderful caregivers at the Northcrest Health Care Center, will remember her for her kindness, her love of nature, and her sense of humor.
Memorial gifts may be made to Youth and Shelter Services, 420 Kellogg Avenue, Ames, Iowa 50010; or to the Fox Family Nursing Scholarship Program of the Northcrest Foundation, Northcrest Community, 1801 20th Street, Ames, Iowa 50010. A memorial service will be held at a later date.

On line condolences may be directed to www.grandonfuneralandcremationcare.com