Mary Hixson

Mary Hixson, 94, Bismarck left this life on earth surrounded by her family on the early morning of April 6, 2020. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a private funeral mass will be celebrated with family at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, April 8.

Mary was born on September 6, 1925 in Chamberlain, SD. She grew up during the Great Depression where she and her brother and two sisters attended a one room school house for all eight grades.  She has shared memories of riding in a horse drawn sleigh to school during the winter and walked 1.25 miles to school uphill both ways the rest of the year. She had fond memories of building thistle houses and taking care of a little family of mice, that she accidentally cooked to death trying to keep them warm in the warming oven.

Mary graduated college with a degree in nursing from the Creighton University in Omaha, NE, in 1946.  She met Robert Hixson, the love of her life, while working as an RN in Rapid City, SD, where he attended the School of Mines.  They married on June 15, 1949, in her hometown of Chamberlain, SD. They moved to Bismarck where Bob took a job as an electrical engineer for Montana Dakota Utilities until his death in 1974. Mary stayed at home to raise their six children in the home they built 65 years ago, where she remained until her death.

Her great joy in life was her family and her deep devotion to the Catholic Church and her love of Jesus.  She attended daily mass at the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit and was a beautiful example of love and faith to anyone who knew her.  After the death of her husband in 1974, her youngest son Tom, who was seven at the time, and her deep faith sustained her.  She later studied and entered the lay order of Carmelites.  She returned to work as an RN for St. Alexius Hospital while her children were in school for another 25 years until she retired.

She was an excellent, bold, bridge player and had many friends from birthday clubs to traveling companions. She had piercing blue eyes, was an avid reader and had a wonderful sense of humor. Her grandchildren have so many beautiful memories of sleepovers, sledding down the back hills, making donut balls, but especially the Sunday morning gatherings after church at her house.

Mary is survived by her six children, Bill (Patti) Hixson, Bismarck; Ann Hixson, Detroit Lakes, MN; Sara Balcom, Bismarck; Jim (Carla) Hixson, Bismarck; Mary Barbere (Tom Woodmansee), Bismarck; Tom Hixson, Boston, MA;  13 grandchildren; 14 great-grandchildren; and a brother, Bill Willrodt, Chamberlain, SD.

She is preceded in death by her husband Bob, two sisters, Betty Wees and Susan Willrodt, and grandson Thomas Hixson.

In lieu of flowers, Mary would like any memorial or donations to go to Cathedral of the Holy Spirit, 519 Raymond Street, Bismarck ND 58501.

“A Pilgrims Prayer” by Thomas Mertoni

My Lord God,

I have no idea where I am going.

I do not see the road ahead of me.

I cannot know for certain where it will end… Nor do I really know myself, And the fact that I think I am following Your will Does not mean that I am actually doing so.

But I believe that the desire to please

You does in fact please you.

And I hope I have that desire in

All that I am doing.

I hope that I will never do anything

Apart from that desire.

And I know that if I do this,

 You will lead me by the right road,

Though I may know nothing about it

And in the Shadow of death,

I will not fear, for you are ever with me And you will never leave me to face My perils alone.