Donald O. Bixel

Donald O. Bixel, 82, Warsaw, died at 4:20 p.m. Jan. 23, 2013, in Miller’s Merry Manor, Warsaw. He was born June 15, 1930, in Warsaw, to Russell S. Bixel, who died June 13, 1974, and L. Marie Inks Bixel, who died Sept. 18, 1981. On May 12, 1963, in Warsaw, he married Laura Mary Rodgers, who survives in Warsaw. He was owner and operator of Bixel Paint Corp., Warsaw, for 40 years, retiring in 1992. He was a 1949 Warsaw High School graduate, where he played football and was a shot putter on the track team. The track team went to state in his senior year, and his shot put record at Warsaw High School was not broken until 1955. A lifetime Warsaw resident, he grew up on West Market Street. He was a member of First United Methodist Church and Masonic Lodge F&AM 73, both in Warsaw; Fort Wayne Valley Scottish Rite; Fort Wayne Mizpah Shrine; Kosciusko County Shrine Club; was currently serving on the Oakwood Cemetery Board of Regents; and was past president of the Kosciusko County Master Gardners Association. He served on the Warsaw City Council from 1976-79; served as Kosciusko County Democrat chairman for several years in the 1980s; and was inducted into the Kosciusko County Democrat Party Hall of Fame in October 1999. He was a member of the fall 1997 Master Gardener class and was the first intern of his class to complete his volunteer hours. He won a number of ribbons at the Kosciusko County Fair for a variety of garden flowers and did all of the landscaping around their home using many flowers to attract hummingbirds and butterflies. He enjoyed traveling, especially the Rocky Mountaineer rail trip through the Canadian Rockies in summer 2005. He always looked forward to the many January vacations spent at Fort Myers, Fla. He was always ready for the monthly Bixel “Cousin’s Day” spent in Plymouth, South Bend or Warsaw. He bowled many years at both Holiday Lanes and Gilliam Lanes. He was a season ticket holder for Warsaw basketball games for many years and was especially excited to attend the 1984 state championship tourney. He followed NFL football for years, particularly the Chicago Bears and then more recently the Colts with Peyton Manning. Also surviving are many cousins and their families; his big black and white cat, Butch; and very special friends, Roy and Joellen Hauth, Jack and Velma Baugher and Jonna Stahl. Services will be at 10:30 a.m. Thursday at Titus Funeral Home, Warsaw, with Pastors Toni and Scott Carmer, of First United Methodist Church, Warsaw, officiating. Burial will be in Oakwood Cemetery, Warsaw. Calling is from 2 to 4 p.m. and 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at the funeral home. ***** Memorials may be made to First United Methodist Church, 179 S. Indiana St., Warsaw, IN 46580; Shriner’s Hospital For Children, 2211 N. Oak Park Ave., Chicago, IL 60707; Visiting Nurse and Hospice Home, 5910 Homestead Road, Fort Wayne, IN 46814; or Kosciusko Home Care and Hospice Inc., P.O. Box 1196, Warsaw, IN 46581-1196. Condolences may be sent via www.titusfuneralhome.com