Obituary for Gary Lee Hix
Gary went to be with the Lord on Dec. 9, 2022, while residing at Royal Plaza in Lewiston.
He grew up in Lewiston until he was 16 when he moved to Weippe and lived with relatives. At the age of 19, while working for the Potlatch mill, he suffered an accident that caused him to be paralyzed from the waist down. The doctors told his mother he would never walk again, but he did and surprised his mother when he came walking in the door. Today, this man who has suffered so many years with back, leg and feet pain has found peace in being pain free, dancing with the angels. How do we know? In his early 40s, Gary gave his heart to the Lord.
He married Carol (LaMarche-Watkins) March 17, 1967. Together they raised eight children; Kathleen (Scott), of San Francisco; Kelly (Mindy), of Orofino; Roscoe (Jamey), of Kamiah; Luanne, of Puyallup; Cynthia (Rodney), of Clarkston; Jason (Kim); Rene’ (Pete) Bonner; and Brian, of Lewiston.
Gary worked at Schmidt’s Mill on the green chain in the early 1960s and ’70s. In 1972-73 he was a janitor at Timberline High School, later working for DeAtley Corp. and Kiele Logging as a sawyer. In the late ’70s, he was a self-employed logger. Logging house logs, he taught his boys to work hard and take care of the equipment. Following that, he worked for Hutchins Cedar Mill splitting cedar and making posts, but it was during the time he was working for DeAtley again that he had a major heart attack. It took Gary a long while to recover, but he did everything he could to work and feed his family. He tried rock crushing, cedar splitting and working for Musselman Construction. In the early ’90s Gary got the whole family involved in yew wood barking and worked in construction, cedar mills and making firewood to sell before he retired.
Gary was a unique individual, stubborn, truthful, to a fault sometimes, a hard worker despite the pain he suffered. He loved the outdoors, hunting, fishing, going for a drive, looking for deer and elk, watching old cowboy movies and, boy, was he a math whiz. He loved to beat you at cribbage or poker. He could look at a load of lumber or stack of firewood and tell you how many board feet was in it.
He loved his family with all his heart and taught his children good work ethics from their youth, how to be strong people who could stand up for themselves and defend what was right.
Gary was a hero in his own right for many people, even though he was not in the military. It was because of Gary’s back injury case Paul Keaton argued against the Social Security Administration and won. Now others can claim disability for back injuries.
He is survived by his eight children and their spouses; sisters Bonnie, Flarnie and Sue; 22 grandchildren; 17 great-grandchildren; and nine nieces and nephews.
He is preceded in death by his father and mother, Ernie and Phyllis Hix; brother Ernest Jay Hix; nephews Brandon Hix, Phillip Creutzberg and several aunts and uncles.
His service will be held at 2 p.m. Jan. 21 at Mountain View Funeral Home, 3521 Seventh St., in the Lewiston Orchards.
He grew up in Lewiston until he was 16 when he moved to Weippe and lived with relatives. At the age of 19, while working for the Potlatch mill, he suffered an accident that caused him to be paralyzed from the waist down. The doctors told his mother he would never walk again, but he did and surprised his mother when he came walking in the door. Today, this man who has suffered so many years with back, leg and feet pain has found peace in being pain free, dancing with the angels. How do we know? In his early 40s, Gary gave his heart to the Lord.
He married Carol (LaMarche-Watkins) March 17, 1967. Together they raised eight children; Kathleen (Scott), of San Francisco; Kelly (Mindy), of Orofino; Roscoe (Jamey), of Kamiah; Luanne, of Puyallup; Cynthia (Rodney), of Clarkston; Jason (Kim); Rene’ (Pete) Bonner; and Brian, of Lewiston.
Gary worked at Schmidt’s Mill on the green chain in the early 1960s and ’70s. In 1972-73 he was a janitor at Timberline High School, later working for DeAtley Corp. and Kiele Logging as a sawyer. In the late ’70s, he was a self-employed logger. Logging house logs, he taught his boys to work hard and take care of the equipment. Following that, he worked for Hutchins Cedar Mill splitting cedar and making posts, but it was during the time he was working for DeAtley again that he had a major heart attack. It took Gary a long while to recover, but he did everything he could to work and feed his family. He tried rock crushing, cedar splitting and working for Musselman Construction. In the early ’90s Gary got the whole family involved in yew wood barking and worked in construction, cedar mills and making firewood to sell before he retired.
Gary was a unique individual, stubborn, truthful, to a fault sometimes, a hard worker despite the pain he suffered. He loved the outdoors, hunting, fishing, going for a drive, looking for deer and elk, watching old cowboy movies and, boy, was he a math whiz. He loved to beat you at cribbage or poker. He could look at a load of lumber or stack of firewood and tell you how many board feet was in it.
He loved his family with all his heart and taught his children good work ethics from their youth, how to be strong people who could stand up for themselves and defend what was right.
Gary was a hero in his own right for many people, even though he was not in the military. It was because of Gary’s back injury case Paul Keaton argued against the Social Security Administration and won. Now others can claim disability for back injuries.
He is survived by his eight children and their spouses; sisters Bonnie, Flarnie and Sue; 22 grandchildren; 17 great-grandchildren; and nine nieces and nephews.
He is preceded in death by his father and mother, Ernie and Phyllis Hix; brother Ernest Jay Hix; nephews Brandon Hix, Phillip Creutzberg and several aunts and uncles.
His service will be held at 2 p.m. Jan. 21 at Mountain View Funeral Home, 3521 Seventh St., in the Lewiston Orchards.