William A. Hixson, 86, of La Grande, a former Baker City resident, died May 13, 2008, at a local care center.
There will be celebration of his life at 11 a.m. Saturday at Loveland Funeral Chapel and Crematory, 1508 Fourth St., in La Grande.
Bill was born on June 19, 1921, at Missouri Flat to Elijah William and Frances Edna Schiller. He attended grade school near Pleasant Valley and Baker High School. After high school, he began working in the sawmill and then went to log cutting.
In 1941 he tried to enlist in the U.S. Navy after Pearl Harbor. He was refused by the Navy, but was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1942.
He was sent to Newport News, Va., and worked on ships picking up wounded soldiers in places such as Africa, Italy and France.
He worked in the medical corps and received four combat ribbons. During one of his leaves from the service, he met Dorothy Combs. She traveled to Newport News to marry him in 1945.
He was released from the service in late 1945 and went back to Baker City and then to Pondosa where he resumed cutting logs.
He moved to La Grande in 1951 and continued logging until 1974 when he and his son-in-law started M & H Rigging. He retired in 1989 and later worked as credit manager for Eagle Truck until he retired permanently.
He was an avid hunter and fisherman and loved spending time with his daughter and grandchildren. He loved to play cards and was always looking for someone to play.
Survivors include his wife, Dorothy; his daughter, Roberta, and her husband, Donald Miller; four granddaughters; five great-grandsons; and two great-granddaughters, all of La Grande; a sister, Dorothy Spivey of Baker City; and several cousins living in Baker City.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorial contributions to the Blue Mountain Humane Society or the American Diabetes Association.
Used with permission from: Baker City Herald, Baker City, Oregon, May 16, 2008
Transcribed by: Belva Ticknor
