James Edward Thixton

James Edward Thixton, Sr. passed away April 28th, 2014. He was born to Lawrence Maxwell and Bernice Marie Phillips Thixton on May 12, 1926. His father, Lawrence, was a blacksmith for the Monon Railroad, from which he retired, only to go to work for International Harvester and retire from there. In that, his father gave his son a strong work ethic and sense of right and wrong. From his father, Jim learned that a man was only as good as his word and lived his life accordingly. His mother, Bernice, was a wonderful homemaker, who raised two children, Edna Louise, born in 1918 and James Edward Thixton, Sr. She was a child at heart and made her children's and grandchildren's life a wonderland. James Edward was a precocious child, having many stories told about his youth. When he was small, his mother told of him rising so early that the other children in the neighborhood were still asleep. He would wait not so patiently on the curb for them to come out and play. He held his own most of the time, but being of small stature, he learned to compensate. One story told of his tantalizing boys in the neighborhood to chase him while a strategically placed milk box was waiting at the top of the stairs of his porch to waylay his pursuers. He was once captured and put in a cardboard box, tied with a rope, and placed in the middle of the road only to be rescued by his mother before he was hit by a car! He later in life earned the affectionate nickname "mean little shit" by friends and family. That pretty much lovingly described him. He was honery, funny, and a good guy. Jim met the love of his life at the Broad Ripple Swimming Pool, Zadel McCoy, of course, he was showing off. Jim was a senior and Zadel was a sophomore at Arsenal Technical High School. When Jim turned 18 there was a World War going on. He and many classmates immediately enlisted. They were told to finish High School and after that they were immediately sent to the Great Lakes, Michigan for Boot Camp. Jim enlisted with friends Bob Watson, Joe Ludlow and Dick Howell. Jim served during WWII from 1946 to 1947 in the Pacific Theatre on the USS Mertz. He never spoke of the War until much later in his life. He always said he would not have ever traded the experience, but would never want to go through it again. He was sent to Hawaii after Pearl Harbor, the Aleutian Islands, Iwo Jima, and Japan. At sea, he encountered many battles. He was a Fireman First Class working in the boiler room, the belly of the ship. He had gained the rank of Machinist Mate, a level above Fireman First Class, but on shore leave as it happened, someone insulted his wife to be. A fight ensued and he was busted back to Fireman First Class. His foot was broken when a shell ejected and he was transferred to a sister ship for treatment. He told of being transferred in a chair from ship to ship. He returned to the USS Mertz. The USS Mertz took fire many times, Jim's battle station being a gunner on deck. He told of Kamikaze bombers and depth charges dropped on submarines. Fortunately, the USS Mertz was only hit severely once and Jim returned safely home to family, friends, and most importantly to the love of his life, Zadel McCoy. Jim married Zadel on July 31, 1948 at the Christ Church Cathedral downtown on the Indianapolis Circle with Navy buddies serving as his groomsmen and best man. They honeymooned in Niagra Falls. Returning home, his father suggested that he better get to work. He applied to International Harvester (now Navistar) to become a patternmaker. International Harvester became a family affair. His father worked as a Maintenance Foreman; his son, James Edward Thixton, Jr. became a Senior Process Quality Engineer there. His future son-in-law became his first apprentice with many to follow. Jim retired from International Harvester in 1981. Jim was a great teacher and shared his knowledge with his children, friends, and kids in the neighborhood. Many times one could find the children gathered in his garage building almost anything. He took on the task of a Junior Achievement program teacher and was subsequently offered a teaching position at Tech High School despite not having a college degree. In 1949, Jim became a Daddy to Jami Sue (Jami Boy was his nickname in the Navy) and soon after in 1951, he had a son to become his namesake, James Edward Thixton, Jr. The years followed with vacations to Bass Lake in Michigan, fishing in Canada and trips to the Ohio River for camping and water-skiing. Jim loved animals. Jim and Zadel's first "child" was a dog named CoCo. Coco was a member of the wedding party in 1948 and his birthdays were celebrated. Tobey, a beagle, came later and was his huntin' dog. Jim carried him a lot of the time if there was ice or snow as they hunted rabbits. Despite warnings that sleeping with them would "ruin" his nose, Tobey was a member of the family and slept where ever he wanted. Barney was his last canine best friend and went with him everywhere. Jim, although it was hard for him to admit also loved cats. Jim's family grew to include 5 grandchildren and 3 great-grandchildren. His first grandchild was Brian James, followed by Emily Suzanne, James Edward III, Jason, and Jill. His family grew as son-in-law David and daughter-in-law Linda were added. With them came grandchildren Amber, Ron, Steve, Kim and Chris. Great-grandchildren made a wonderfully complete family. Zoe, Raine, Alex, Dylan, Kyle, Alex, Jack, Riley, Reis, Laney and Mackayla made holidays special. A skilled and talented craftsman, Jim could create anything. He enjoyed making cabinetry, wood working, and fixing anything. Jim was a master gunsmith and locksmith. He became Mr. Fix-It in the neighborhood. Jim's family would like you to join them in a "Celebration of A Life Well Lived" on Saturday, May 10th, at 11202 Back Bay Lane, Indianapolis, from noon to 5 pm. Contributions may be made to Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.