William Wixon

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Nov. 23, 1916-Nov. 27, 2009

MARSHALL - Mass of Christian burial for Bill Wixon, 93, of Marshall will be at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday at Holy Redeemer Catholic Church in Marshall. Visitation will be from 4-8 p.m. today with a CCW Rosary at 4 p.m. and a parish prayer service at 7 p.m. at Rehkamp-Horvath Funeral Home in Marshall. Visitation will continue from 8:30-10 a.m. Tuesday at the funeral home. Burial will follow the service at St. Eloi Catholic Cemetery in Ghent. Military honors provided by U.S. American Legion Post 113 of Marshall.

He died Friday, Nov. 27, 2009, at Prairie Home Hospice in Marshall.

William Henry ("Bill") Wixon was born Nov. 23, 1916, on a farm near Garvin.

After leaving the family farm as a teenager to work at various jobs during the depression, Bill joined the U.S. Navy in 1940, serving until 1946. He saw action in both the Atlantic and Pacific aboard the battleship U.S.S. Idaho, including kamikaze attacks and the battles of the Aleutian Islands, Saipan, and Guam. Later he was assigned to shore duty in California, at which time he married Mary Deborah Senden, daughter of Joseph and Katherine (Bot) Senden, of Ghent. After Bill's discharge, the couple returned to Ghent, and eventually opened Wixon's Market, which provided grocery and meatcutting services for a wide area surrounding the town particularly after the every-other-Friday sessions in which Bill made bloodsausage, a treat for which customers would drive fifty miles or more. When they eventually retired from the store, Bill and Mary moved to Marshall. In Marshall, Bill became the manager of the Marshall Municipal Liquor system, later was owner of the Corner Bar, and later still was manager of the American Legion Club.

Bill loved to hunt and fish, and he and Mary taught their sons and eventually their daughters-in-law a variety of card games, which provided a focus for family get-togethers. He also loved music, traveling, reading, watching westerns, the Minnesota Twins, and spending time with family and friends. He developed a fondness for opera in his later years and loved listening to Pavarotti.

A hard worker all his life, Bill had a keen realization of the importance of education, and he took great pride that all four of his sons were able to obtain a higher level of education than he had been able to achieve.

Bill was known for his story-telling and sense of humor, with the rare gift of being able to pull the legs of his audience in a way that left them smiling. He could always raise a laugh or spark a smile, and was much beloved by all who knew him.

Bill's was a full, rich life, and he will be missed by all.

Bill is survived by his four sons: David W. (Sharman), Bernard J. (Sandra), Daniel M. (Hope), and William B. (Renee) Wixon, as well as by his grandchildren, Matthew, Andrew, David, and Sara, and his sister, Mrs. Rachel Kaczrowski, of Marshall, and many nieces and nephews, who were genuinely fond of their "Uncle B."

He was preceded in death by his wife, Mary Senden Wixon, his parents, Miles and Florence Wixon, and sixteen siblings. He was also preceded in death by his favorite hunting dogs, Duke and Jet.