Jessica M. Fox

FOX, Jessica M. (Monsivais), age 46, of Dayton, OH formerly of Brooklyn, NY and Troy, OH, died peacefully on Thursday, June 26, 2025.

Jessica was born on October 10, 1978, in Coldwater, OH. She graduated from Miami East High School class of 1997 and went on to earn her B.S. in Psychology at Hunter College in NYC. While living in NYC and finishing her degree, she met her future husband, Christian, at a vegan restaurant on the Upper East Side where they both worked. It took a bit of coaxing at first, but they had their first date in late 2001 and eventually married on June 28, 2008. After graduating from Hunter, Jessica worked at the Administration for Children’s Services in NYC until 2010, when she rediscovered her love of physical fitness and began what was to be her calling as a coach at CrossFit South Brooklyn (where she once again worked alongside Christian). They resided in Brooklyn where, along with their kids CJ and Dharma, plus a few furred family members, they built a wonderful life together.

During warmer Brooklyn months, Jessica and Christian made regular trips to their favorite NYC beach in Rockaway, often with friends, where many arepa and cold beverages were had. Jessica had a naturally curious nature and loved to travel and explore. She and Christian made many memorable trips; Bolivia, Oaxaca City, Southwest Utah, and a motorcycle trip down the California coast were especially stunning, and she also enjoyed the many green spaces right here in the Dayton area. Jessica sought and found awe in the ordinary. Be it a body of water, a forest or mountain trail, she felt most at home with nature.

In 2020, they relocated to Dayton where Jessica continued her career in fitness, both in-person and online. A coach through and through, yet always up for an adventure, she added a new passion, low-impact vegetable farming, and started working part-time at Patchwork Gardens in Dayton, OH. It was here she got to fall in love daily with earth’s bounty of flora, fauna, and fungi.

Jessica was a vibrant, kind, compassionate person, which was apparent to everyone she met within minutes. She'd just as equally share a laugh as provide an ear to just listen, or a shoulder to cry on. Anyone lucky enough to have known her for any length of time is very likely, at this moment, imagining her big, beautiful, wide-open smile.

She loved animals and especially dogs, so when she and Christian couldn’t have one in their Brooklyn apartment, she volunteered at a local dog rescue. It wasn’t long before she “found” their first dog, her forever best boy, Tucker. The landlord relented. They eventually added sweet Molly to the mix and more recently, Jessica “found” their new addition, Bodhi, right around the corner from their home here in Dayton. That’s her story at least, so let’s stick to it…

After Jessica’s diagnosis in December 2022, she became a passionate advocate for colorectal cancer awareness, both as an ambassador for Fight CRC where she campaigned in DC and mentored new ambassadors, in addition to becoming a well-loved member and coach at her local women’s cancer support group, The Noble Circle Project. She wrote beautifully and honestly about living with a terminal cancer diagnosis on her substack, You Can’t Blame Your Mom For Everything and immersed herself in learning what she could about what she came to know as a very natural task in this life, something we all will do one day but most sadly ignore for too long; dying. From volunteering at Ohio’s Hospice of Dayton, to reading countless books on the topic, to training as a death doula herself, this aspect of her journey, during what was to be late in her life, was extremely fulfilling.

During her cancer journey Jessica continued to live life fully and openly. She preferred not to be spoken of as being in a fight or a battle and never spoke of a “war” on cancer, though she would ask if you’d scheduled your colonoscopy. She embodied non-violence through and through and never lost her vibrant, kind spirit. She will be missed by all who knew and loved her.

She is preceded in death by her grandmother, Maria Gutierrez; and great-grandmother, Maria Escamilla.

Jessica is survived by her husband of 17 years, Christian Fox; children CJ (Catherine) Fox and Dharma (Dan) Howell; grandson, Ronin Fox; mother, Leticia (George) Walker; brothers, Edward Monsivais, Manuel Monsivais, and Julio (Tabitha) Rodriguez; niece, Hayden and nephew, Maddox; beloved dogs Molly and Bodhi; in addition to numerous extended family and friends.

A private green burial service is being held in Oak Grove at Glen Forest Cemetery. Details on a Celebration Of Life ceremony will be announced on Jessica’s substack, You Can’t Blame Your Mom For Everything (https://jessicafox.substack.com/), at a future date.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to The Gentle Barn at https://www.gentlebarn.org/donate/

Jessica’s family would like to thank the staffs at Kettering Health Network, the National Institutes of Health, and Ohio’s Hospice of Dayton, for the exceptional care they provided.