“If you can’t grow it, we can sew it!”
That line from a Power 93.9 radio ad was how some Wichitans got to know Marilyn Fox. Others knew her from the years they spent in her salon chair at Foxy’s Fantastic Hair Design, where a hair appointment often came with a little encouragement.
Fox closed her salon at 1903 E. 21st St. North in September, ending a 45-year run. Diagnosed with colon cancer in June 2024, she decided to retire and focus on her health. Her family is inviting former clients, friends, relatives and neighbors to stop by a Nov. 28 benefit celebrating her career and helping with the cost of her ongoing care.
Fox trained at Professional Beauty College and worked at Hancock Beauty Salon before opening Foxy’s in 1981 with her then-husband, Jimmy Fox. They worked side by side for more than a decade, offering Carefree Curls, Wave Nouveau styles, hair weaves and barber cuts. Even their four children helped answer the phone.
Fox became a master stylist through the National Beauty Culture League and trained with Willie Lee Morrow, an innovator behind the California Curl. She also took her work beyond the salon, producing Wichita hair and fashion shows that put her own clients on the runway.
“Customers became friends, and friends became family,” her daughter, Dr. Nicole Fox, wrote in a tribute..
More than 15 years after opening Foxy’s, Marilyn returned to school to become a licensed practical nurse. She cut back her salon hours to work in nursing, and her clients kept coming. She also served for more than a decade as president of the Philo Affiliate of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority Inc.
Benefit and Card Shower
Foxy’s Legacy Benefit runs from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 28, at O’Brien’s Irish Pub, 5205 E. Kellogg in Wichita. Admission is free and everyone is welcome. The event will feature food, a silent auction, 50/50 raffles and door prizes. Proceeds will support Fox’s cancer treatment and ongoing care.
The family also welcomes cards with favorite salon memories or words of encouragement. Mail them to Marilyn Fox, Foxy’s Fantastic Hair Design, 5630 Denise, Wichita, KS 67220.