81.7 F
Charlotte Amalie
Thursday, March 28, 2024
HomeNewsArchivesJorgen Barfoed Fog Dead at 91

Jorgen Barfoed Fog Dead at 91

April 12, 2005 — Jorgen Barfoed Fog, long time resident of St. Thomas, died on Saturday April 9, at the Roy L. Schneider Hospital. Trained in Denmark as an electrical and mechanical engineer Mr. Fog started St. Thomas Electric Company in 1943. Subsequently he formed the Virgin Islands Trading Company and built the complex now known as Vitraco Mall.
Mr. Fog was born in Odense, Denmark on July 28, 1913. After receiving his training from the Thrige Company, he left Denmark at an early age and traveled the world for several years working as a ship's engineer. As a young man he visited the Far East, the Pacific, South America and the Caribbean. Mr. Fog first came to St. Thomas in 1934 on a ship delivering cargo to the Danish West Indian Company. Upon waking up and looking out at St. Thomas for the first time, he said that he had never seen a more beautiful place in the world.
In 1939 Mr. Fog was aboard the vessel Tongking when it caught on fire off of Penang. He was the last one to leave the ship as he stayed to rescue a monkey that had been tied to the mast.
During the Second World War he was a ship's engineer on the North Atlantic convoys including the Jarvis Bay Convoy from Halifax, Canada to Liverpool, England. Later Mr. Fog found himself in Singapore. When Singapore was invaded by the Japanese, he was determined to return to St. Thomas. He spent more than a year moving from one ship to another until he finally returned to St. Thomas.
Upon returning to St. Thomas in 1941 he went to work for the Danish West Indian Company. From 1941 to 1943, Mr. Fog ran the power plants on St. Thomas and St. John for the Danish West Indian Company. At that time those plants were the only source of electricity for the two islands. Mr. Fog was well known for his ability to fix and repair all things electrical and mechanical. His first store was located on Main Street across from the "V.I. Daily News" and he often received calls from Mr. Ariel Melchior Sr. to come and repair the printing presses.
In 1944 Mr. Fog married Phyllis Johansen. They raised two sons, Per and Jens on St. Thomas who attended Antilles School and later completed their education in the states.
Mr. Fog is survived by his wife, Phyllis, two sons, Per and Jens and four grandchildren, Lauren, Robyn, Henning and Anker. In lieu of flowers, donations should be made to the Charlotte Kimelman Cancer Foundation. A private burial at sea has been planned by the family.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email
Keeping our community informed is our top priority.
If you have a news tip to share, please call or text us at 340-228-8784.

Support local + independent journalism in the U.S. Virgin Islands

Unlike many news organizations, we haven't put up a paywall – we want to keep our journalism as accessible as we can. Our independent journalism costs time, money and hard work to keep you informed, but we do it because we believe that it matters. We know that informed communities are empowered ones. If you appreciate our reporting and want to help make our future more secure, please consider donating.