Earl Fox, a former mayor of Union Springs who guided the village for more than two decades, died Friday at the age of 91.

Fox became mayor in 1959 after winning the seat as a write-in candidate. He did not relinquish that title until his retirement in 1983.

In between, he oversaw several changes in the village, including the construction of a sewer system and treatment plant, as well as an expansion and improvement project at Frontenac Park.

In August 1983, some 200 people attended a dinner to honor Fox, including the late U.S. Rep. Frank Horton.

"Earl is one of the country's finest mayors," Horton said at the time.

It was a sentiment many area politicians shared.

"Earl's passing is a passing of a great man and wonderful New Yorker," state Sen. Michael Nozzolio said Friday. "He cared about his community."

Nozzolio had known Fox for several years, and said he appreciated working with the Union Springs mayor when Nozzolio began his state Legislature career in the Assembly.

"He was a just a charming man - gentle in every aspect of the way he approached people," he said.

During his tenure as mayor, Fox developed a reputation as a doer.

"You can never say, 'Well, I've finished that job, now I can quit.' There's always some new project," he told The Citizen in 1973.

"I'm not that civic-minded. I enjoy the satisfaction of being able to complete new projects."

Fox, a former corrections officer, was a native of Bloomingburg. He and his late wife, Eva, had five children.

Fox died at Kenmore Mercy Hospital in Kenmore. Shakelton Funeral Home in Aurora is handling arrangements.