Willis Richard Hix

Richard was the 10th of 13 children born to C.C. and Orah Hix on September 18, 1929 on a farm near Hulbert, Oklahoma. The home did not have electricity so he was born by the light of a kerosene lamp. He is survived by his devoted loving wife, Rosalee; three daughters, Vicki of Dallas, TX, Melissa of Coweta and Marla Jo of Hulbert; two sisters, Juanita Lynch of Lawrence, KS and Neomia Collins of Hulbert. All older siblings and his youngest sister preceded him in death. Everyone in the family was required to help on the farm so at an early age he was tasked with chores. He soon moved up to more work such as cutting wood and field work like weeding, plowing, planting and harvesting. They did not have a tractor, so horses provided the power. He attended a local rural school and completed the 8th grade. He said, “he had learned all he would ever need to know.” In 1945 he went to Wyoming where he helped with the hay harvest on a large cattle ranch, WWII was still going on and beef was critical for feeding the troops fighting our enemy. He thought he wanted to be a cowboy and tried bull riding, but the huge Brahma bulls soon made him realize there were easier ways to earn a living. In 1947 he enlisted in the Army, completed his high school GED and started taking college courses at night whenever he could. He remained in the Army for 21 years and served at several bases in the US and spent 11 years of overseas duty in Panama, Korea, Iran and Germany. While in Germany he traveled extensively through most of Europe including Italy and Scandinavia. Richard retired from the Army as a Major. He completed his master’s degree and taught high school, then worked for the Department of Veterans Affairs in counseling and rehabilitation of disabled veterans. Richard attended Texanna Assembly of God Church where he was saved. A celebration of Richard’s life will be 11:30AM, Wednesday, October 11, 2023 at Cornerstone Funeral Home Chapel with Bro. Tim Allen officiating. Interment will follow at Fort Gibson National Cemetery with Richard Leslie Hix, Winston Hix, Don Hix, Nate Remmers, Travis Helton and Justin Jones serving as pallbearers. Honorary pallbearers will be Curry Dotson, Randy Collins, Connor Collins and Marlon Gordon.

Willis Richard Hix

September 18, 1929 - October 6, 2023