James R. Hixon

James R. Hixon of Port Deposit passed away November 23, 2014 at home. He was 81. Mr. Hixon was born in Lansing, IL on August 28, 1933, son of Herbert and Thelma Porter Hixon. He was a veteran of the U.S. Air Force, serving 28 years of active duty and Air National Guard. He was a member of the VFW Post 8185 of Port Deposit; the American Legion Post 194 of Rising Sun; the Historical Society of Cecil County, and the Sons of the American Revolution. Mr. Hixon received a bachelor’s degree in Law Enforcement and Administration from the University of North Carolina-Charlotte and a master’s degree in Public Administration-Criminal Justice from the University of South Carolina in Columbia. He was responsible for developing and implementing a new curriculum program in Criminal Justice at Orangeburg-Calhoun Technical College in Orangeburg, SC. He served as the State Criminal Justice Coordinator for the South Carolina State Board Comprehensive and Technical Education, working with the Office of Criminal Justice Programs, a division of the Office of the Governor of SC, before moving to MD to teach at Harford Community College. He taught on campus for several years and in the HCC European Program on military bases in Germany for a year and a half. Mr. Hixon retired from Federal Service with the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command, Headquarters at Fort Belvoir, VA. He was also the first resident manager of Harford Senior Housing, which opened in Bel Air in 1982. He is survived by his wife of 58 years, Lily Blackwell Hixon; daughters Leigh Ellen Fielder of Havre de Grace and Wendy Ann Snee of White Hall; granddaughters, Ashley Fielder and Megan Fielder; grandsons, Sean Snee, Jr., Brian Snee, Eric Snee and Kevin Snee. Beside his parents, he was predeceased by brothers Herbert Porter Hixon and Keith Sharpe Hixon. At the request of the family, services will be private. In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial donations be sent to: Amedisys Hospice, 7106 Ridge Road, Suite 100, Rosedale, MD 21237 or The Wounded Warrior Project, P.O. Box 758517, Topeka, KS 66675.