CAROL BIXBY
05/30/1945 - 08/21/2022
Carol Reed Wightman Bixby passed away at home in Austin, Tx on August 21. She was born on May 30, 1945, to Richard and Lois Wightman in Hackensack, New Jersey. After spending her first years out East, she was raised in Iron River, Michigan, where she graduated from Iron River High School in 1963. She then attended Carroll University in Waukesha, Wisconsin, where she was a member of the Chi Omega women’s fraternity, and graduated in 1967, before attaining a Master’s degree in Education from Butler University in Indianapolis. She married her college sweetheart Russell Bixby on December 28, 1968. The two of them lived and worked–Carol taught Reading to elementary school students–in the Midwest before relocating for good to Texas in 1976.
Following the move, Carol used her experience as an educator to pivot towards Christian education. She spent more than 25 years as the DCE (Director of Christian Education) at John Calvin, Atascocita, and St. John’s Presbyterian churches (all in the Houston area). In that time, she became more deeply involved in her home churches, serving as an ordained elder and in various mission capacities, while also becoming more broadly involved in the larger denomination. She served as Moderator of the Presbytery of New Covenant in 1985, where she fostered the birth/ growth of new churches into the PCUSA (Presbyterian Church USA).
After retiring to Austin, Texas in 2009, Carol transferred her energies to service projects like Via Esperanza (a non-profit organization that provided financial/counseling assistance to first generation Latin American college students) while also maintaining her role as an educator by teaching knitting at Hill Country Weavers. She was a passionate Longhorn fan and held season tickets to Texas football games; no matter the outcome, she always stayed for “The Eyes of Texas.”
Carol was preceded in death by her parents. She is survived by her husband Russ, her sons John (Melanie Harms) and Mark (Leia Barnett), her granddaughters Ruby and Cora, and her siblings Richard Wightman (Debra) and Joyce Olson (Tom), brother-in-law John Bixby (Irene), sister-in-law Anna McPherson, and nieces and nephews. She offers thanks for the love and support of family and friends as well as the phenomenal staff of St. David’s Hospital and, especially, her longtime oncologist Dr. Laurence Tokaz in Austin.
Carol’s Celebration of Life will be announced at a later date. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be directed to the Davis New Mexico Scholarship. The Davis New Mexico Scholarship is a full Cost of Attendance Scholarship for first-generation college students from New Mexico to attend school outside of the state. Hosted at Santa Fe Prep School, the majority of scholars are students from Santa Fe Public Schools and the surrounding area. About half of nearly 200 Davis New Mexico Scholars attend college in the Austin area, and the scholarship has robust partnerships with Southwestern University and St. Edward’s University. To make a donation, please go to this website - https:// sfprep.networkforgood.com and select “Davis New Mexico Scholarship” from the drop down menu.