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GRAPEVINE — As a manager for the Commonwealth chain of movie theaters, Randall Foy moved his family around the United States, but his passion for the movies spanned the globe.
Mr. Foy began collecting movies decades ago, relatives said this week. He started with 16 mm reel-to-reel film, then switched to VHS and DVDs as technology changed.Mr. Foy advertised for titles he wanted in movie magazines and traded titles with folks around the world. He left a collection of possibly 4,000 titles, relatives said.Mr. Foy died Friday at age 68, likely from complications of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, relatives said. Services were Tuesday in Grapevine. Randall Jay Foy was born Dec. 1, 1940, to Guy and Kay Foy. His love of movies began when he was growing up in the one-screen town of Montpelier, Ind. He and his brother, John, paid 20 cents to see the latest movie and went every day when they could, watching some movies over and over, John Foy said.By 13, Mr. Foy had a job sweeping out the theater. He was promoted to taking tickets and then to selling them.After graduating from Montpelier High School in 1958, Mr. Foy turned his passion into a career. He became a theater manager, passing on a job at a nearby factory that paid much more, said his daughter, Robyn Stuart, a Grapevine police officer."We moved all over the country because of his work," she said. "I was raised in the movie theater."Mr. Foy managed theaters in Texas, New Mexico, Arkansas, North Carolina, Colorado and Wyoming. For about three years in the late 1970s, he owned the drive-in theater in Andrews, a small town north of Odessa. The family lived in a house behind the screen, son Rodney Foy of Burleson said.Westerns, especially those starring Roy Rogers, Gene Autry, Lash LaRue and Hopalong Cassidy, were among Mr. Foy’s favorites. But he also liked a good horror film. Rodney Foy said his mother went into labor with him when his parents were at a theater watching Night of the Living Dead.Mr. Foy eventually returned to Montpelier and operated a movie rental store before retiring. He moved to Grapevine about nine years ago to be closer to his daughter, son and grandchildren. Rodney Foy owns and operates Discount Gameroom and Theater Equipment in Fort Worth.Growing up, Stuart said, she headed to the theater after school, finished her homework and then watched a movie."I saw Star Wars literally 50 times," she said.Other survivors include son Randall Foy of Indiana, sister Judy Foy and seven grandchildren.SANDRA BAKER, 817-390-7727
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