Tamara Pauline Suligowski-Fox, aka Tarrah Fox (Nee: McDonald), was about the most outgoing and energetic woman in the world. Beloved wife, accomplished equestrian, and horse trainer, First Responder and Security Enforcement Officer, Living History performer, Television and stage actress, IT college graduate and Business Law Student, were only the tip of the iceberg of her amazing accomplishments.
Tamara passed on May 15th, 2022, 6:59 pm, at Ozark Healthcare Hospital, West Plains, Missouri, from complications of Cancer.
She was born to Paul Edward McDonald and Carol Joan Muhlenburg, on May 29th, 1965, growing up, and traveling back and forth between California and Missouri, from her childhood thru her adult life. She had ancestry in Missouri; Her ancestors of Featheringill, Nutt and Muhlenburg families traveled across Missouri in covered wagons. Her great-grandmother was born in Willow Springs, and the rest of the family settling in Joplin. Her Grandparents had a grocery store during the Great depression, that graciously extended credit to those neighbors who had no money. Tamara had traced her ancestry to one of the Founding Fathers of the American Colonies and signers of The Declaration of Independence!
To say that Tamara loved horses would be an understatement and was truly in her element; in her early formative years, she attended riding camp in Missouri, with the kids of the Anheiser Busch family, creating her early template for an equestrian lifestyle, and a student of the Buck Brannaman style of natural horsemanship, which she shared with her husband, her favorites being the Missouri Foxtrotter and Thoroughbreds. She was also ‘blessed’ with “the Gift”; she had psychic medium abilities. Tamara was incredibly loyal to her husband and defensive as a lioness. Tamara was a very outdoor-activities loving woman, including river-rafting, hiking, horseback-riding, spelunking, etc. To sing all her praises would take an entire day.
All through her years, Tamara always considered her mother, the late Carol Joan Muhlenburg as her best friend, doing virtually everything together. Tamara met, fell madly in love with, and eventually was married to, and is survived by, her husband of 22 years, international recording artist and well-known Rock Musician Rik Fox, who is originally from Brooklyn, New York, although they met in Los Angeles, California in 1983. (Her husband was a co-founding bassist/member of the 1980’s Los Angeles heavy metal band W.A.S.P. as well as the bassist for such legendary bands as Steeler and SIN). Because they shared many interests and believed in giving back to the community, after her husband served five years in the California state Military Reserve, it was through her husband, that she joined him as a graduate member of the CERT (Community Emergency Response Teams) First Responders, under The Los Angeles County Fire Department and FEMA, with Certificates from both agencies. And, along with her husband Rik, she became a Security Enforcement Officer. Her speciality was in the rescuing of horses from emergencies and the California wildfires.
Tamara was absolutely amazing and fantastic; acting was an achievement; among her accomplishments, she worked on several television shows including “Baywatch” (with David Hassellhoff), “Models Inc. LAPD” with actress Linda Gray), “Wings”, “Teen Wolf ll” (with Justine Bateman), a television commercial spokesmodel for the regional Los Angeles Dootson Trucking School, and “Jury Duty” (with comedian Pauly Shore), as well as some Theater. Among some of the many amazing memories, was her equestrian training of her husband to participate in the 2002 New York City Pulaski Day Parade, as the first officially recognized representation of the 17th Century Polish Winged Hussar cavalry knights, which made U.S. History as the first time this was presented in any parade in U.S. History. Additionally, Tamara coordinated all the horse training for her husband’s presentation of the Polish Winged Hussar knights for the cable television series episode of “Museum Secrets.” Through her passion, she was an accomplished ‘horse whisperer’ and her dream was to open her own training facility. She rescued horses (as well as all the rest of her animals) and the family cats. As a couple of 22 years, Tamara and her husband Rik were considered among the “Rock Royalty Couple” peerage in Los Angeles.
Because most of their friends were left behind in California, to start a new life in Missouri, there won’t be a traditional Funeral arrangement; through Willow Funeral Home, LLC Tamara Fox will be cremated and, because they were so close, some of her ashes will be mixed in and shared with the ashes of Rik Fox’s father, the late Leonard J. Suligowski. Because she loved the Wild Horses of Eminence, Missouri, as per her wishes, the rest will be shared with the spirit of those Wild Horses.
Because she gave of everything of her heart, Tamara had no life insurance in place, so, through her husband, there will be a Go Fund Me page set up in her behalf in the Facebook platform to help pay for and offset all the expenses. Any welcome donations to help offset expenses, may be made via that platform, and any cards and letters may be sent directly to Rik Fox, 111 East 3rd Street, #678, Willow Springs, MO 65793.
“Goodbye my love. My partner. My wife. Rest in Peace and run wild with the horses. God has taken you away from me far too soon for some greater purpose. I realize now that we were truly the soulmates you said we were through many lives. I wish I could have saved you. I tried not to fail you, even through our life’s difficulties as a couple. I know you’ll be waiting for me when it’s my turn to join you, and, although my heart aches now, I look forward to our eventual happy reunion on the other side. I’ve been the luckiest, happiest man, in knowing the pleasure of walking through life with you at my side. You were taken from us far too early. Fly high with your new wings and be my guardian “Tarrah Angel” that I know you will be. Please look in on me often and let me know that you’re there. Until I ‘come home’ to join you again, keep me in your love forever more. I’ll keep an eye on things here until then”
More can be read online here:
No services are planned. Arrangements are under the direction of Willow Funeral Home, LLC. Online condolences may be left at www.willowspringsfuneralhome.com
