Obituary: John E. Wix, Jr.

John E. Wix, Jr.
Nov. 10, 1923~May 24, 2017
John E. Wix, Jr., 94, a long-time resident of the Roaring Fork Valley, died peacefully May 24, 2017, in Carbondale, Colo., after battling failing

health for several years.
John was born Nov. 10, 1923, in Long Beach, Calif. He grew up in Meeker, Colo., graduating from Meeker High School, and then attending Denver University.
He was active in the sports arena, excelling in football and basketball in high school. He was also an accomplished boxer.
In 1941 John enlisted in the U.S. Army along with his life-long friend Roy Sizemore, and his older brother, Clark Wix. All three joined the 10th Mountain Division and trained at Camp Hale near Leadville, Colo. John and Roy were sent to the Aleutian Islands in the territory of Alaska. Clark served in Germany and France. All three returned to Meeker after the war ended.
John was a writer, and a journalist for the Associated Press based in Mexico City in the early 1950s. He was fluent in the Spanish language, and his second wife was a native of Mexico.
John wrote the original script for the Meeker Massacre Pageant in 1958, and narrated the event from 1958 through 1966.
John was a well-known and respected real estate broker and developer in the Roaring Fork valley for most of his career. He owned Colorado Country Ltd and Thunder River Realty, having offices in Aspen, Basalt, Carbondale, Silt, Rifle and even Meeker, throughout the years.
John was the son of John E. (Jack) Wix and Marie Sexson, both of Meeker. He is survived by his daughter, Rena Wix of Platteville, Colo., and by his son Terry Johnson of Price, Utah. He is also survived by his nephews Steve Wix and John H. Wix of Meeker and his nieces, Kim Watson of Ft. Collins, Colo., and Lisa Chapin of Littleton, Colo.
A memorial will be held at 1 p.m., on Saturday, June 24 at the Farnum Holt Funeral Home at 405 Seventh St., in Glenwood Springs, Colo.