Master Chief Gail Arnold Wixson, (USN Retired) passed away Monday March 28 in Fort Smith after a brief illness. He was the beloved patriarch of the Wixson clan; at 93, he was the last survivor of his generation. Gail was born in Cedarville, California on February 22, 1929, the second child and oldest son of Laura (Cerwenka) and Gail Francis Wixson.
His early years were spent in northern California and the Nevada desert. In 1937, following the death of his mother and his father’s injury in an industrial accident, Gail and his three siblings became wards of Kearns-St. Ann’s Catholic Orphanage in Salt Lake City. As one of the older boys, Gail got his first taste of farming, as he worked the fields there and helped harvest the food grown for the school. Despite the difficulties of being raised without their parents, the Wixson clan was extraordinarily close, a bond that lasted their lifetimes. The bonds of family expanded to include several other orphaned children who became lifelong “family.” The boys remained at the orphanage several years until they were able to join their father on a farm he had purchased on the North Fork near Chehalis, Washington (older sister Maybelle graduated out of the orphanage).
A brief early marriage produced Gail’s only child, Edna Wixson Bonfield, who preceded him in death but gave him treasured grandchildren. He joined the US Navy and enjoyed a long and storied career, achieving the rank of Master Chief. The majority of his service saw him stationed in Ewa Beach, Hawaii, but he also had stints onboard ship and in Japan, California and on Whidbey Island in Washington state. He married Dorothy Peck on May 22, 1959 at Brownsville, Texas; they were together until her death in 2010. This union brought him two stepchildren and an extended family. He asked Dorothy to pick out a farm of her choosing as he prepared to retire from the Navy; she chose a farm in Greenwood, Arkansas, where they lived for many years before finally settling at the Wixson Farm in Huntington. Gail continued to farm, including haying those fields until 2016. Together he and Dorothy were active in several Veteran organizations including the Fleet Reserve Association.
Gail lived his life purposefully, and with gusto. Early pranks included putting snakes in his sister’s bed. Whenever he got together with his adult Siblings, he mesmerized his nieces and nephews with tales from his Youth. He loved children and indulged all of us with stories of the pink chicken. He would pretend to be our pet elephant and ate every wild fern we would feed him. He had a great sense of humor and was delighted when children would stop and point at him in a store, as they asked their parents if he was “Mr. Clean ” (yes, he bore quite the resemblance). He was a hero for serving his country, but also for how he conducted his life. When he was diagnosed with diabetes in his early forties, immediately began taking good care of his health, quitting smoking and drinking, eating healthy and exercising. This gave him the gift of longevity, as all of us who loved him are grateful for the extra years we had with him. We all have cherished memories of visits with him.
Gail was also preceded in death by his parents; his wife, Dorothy (2010); his siblings Maybelle, George and Mahlon Wixson; his grandson, Mel Bonfield; and nephews, Gail, Richard and Brian Wixson and Irvin Urquhart. He is survived by his devoted companion of eight years, Margaret Mergen, of the home Huntington, Arkansas. Survivors include grandchildren Stacy (Lupe) Flores, Nipomo, California, Angela Cabrera, Oycutt, California, Justin Bonfield, Guadalupe, California, nieces Vicky Wixson, Yvette Wixson, Cindy (Randy) Badgett and Candace Regan, and nephew David (Carolyn) Wixson, all of Washington state; step children Ronald (Yvonne) Peck of Rio Hondo, Texas and Jacquin (James) Tyler of Honey Grove, Texas; numerous step grandchildren, great grandchildren and great nieces and nephews, and his orphanage family, Sister Timothea Kingston of Notre Dame, Indiana.
A service for Gail Arnold Wixson will be held at 10 a.m., Saturday, April 23, 2022, at Rock Creek Baptist Church. A memorial service will also be held in Washington state, dates to be announced. The family suggests that in lieu of flowers, donations honoring the life of Gail Wixson may be made to the Fleet Reserve Association Veteran Service Foundation, 125 Northwest Street, Alexandria, VA 22314 or online at FRA.org. or his local church Rock Creek Baptist, Mansfield Arkansas.
