Mark LeRon Hixson

Mark LeRon “Ron” Hixson

Our father, grandfather, brother, cousin, partner, and friend, Ron Hixson, died peacefully and quietly on August 21st at St. Alphonsus RMC in Boise, in the presence of his beloved daughter, granddaughter, and life partner.

Ron was born on October 10, 1946, in Mesa, AZ, the son of Bill and Iola Hixson. He was the eldest of five children. He was raised in Phoenix, Tempe, and Scottsdale. Ron had a lifelong spiritual connection to nature. He was an avid outdoorsman and an accomplished fisherman and hunter. He loved camping with family and friends.

Ron began learning building skills under his Grandpa Jake’s tutelage at a young age. Always artistically inclined, he also began designing and drafting as a young man. He was largely self-taught, but he acquired skills while working for Paddock Pools and Dixon Electronics in Arizona, as well as the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory, Morrison Knudsen, and various architectural firms in Idaho.

Ron started doing house remodeling jobs in Boise when his family was young, and this side-hustle eventually turned into full-time self-employment, designing and building hundreds of custom and spec houses primarily in the Treasure Valley. As the owner of Mark L. Hixson Design/Build, he designed and built several Parade of Homes houses. In his later years, he gravitated to “green building,” in large part because he desired to leave the world a better place than he found it. He started EarthCraft Construction, where he was a pioneer in building straw-bale, energy-efficient structures. He won several awards, including the Mayor’s Design Excellence award and Idaho’s first-ever LEED-rated residence. He continued to create new construction and remodel house designs until his death.

Ron’s work history would be impressive by anyone’s standards, but it was more remarkable by the fact that he was dyslexic, which caused difficulties with reading, writing, and spelling, despite having above-average intelligence. He never allowed this learning disability to stop him from learning, however, and he mastered any subject he chose through compensatory strategies. He also greatly benefited from the educational rehabilitation he received as an adult from Helen Adams and her associates in Boise.

While Ron’s professional life was important to him, and he worked harder than any two or three ordinary men, just as important was his commitment to the rehab community. Ron turned his life around 36 years ago, with the help of AA and later Spectrum self- discovery workshops. It wasn’t enough for him to help himself, however. He reached out to anyone in need and helped in the best ways he knew, including teaching his protégés trades or helping them conquer their addictions. For many years, he facilitated AA meetings at the Idaho State Correctional Facility. Ron was due to get his 36-year AA chip the week after his passing. We trust that he picked it up “on the other side.”

While Ron was a gifted designer/builder, and a compassionate helping person, his greatest love was his family. His son, daughter, and grandchildren all reaped the benefits of being loved and mentored by him. In the last 13 years of his life, he enjoyed a special love and relationship with his partner, Barb Nelson.

Ron is survived by his children, Jessica and Jake Hixson, his son-in-law and daughter-in-law, Doug Dana and Jessie Chaney, his grandchildren Dylan Hixson, Sienna and Jayden Kaske, and Brannon Dana. He is also survived by his siblings Dee Dee Hixson and Shelley Rickert in Phoenix, Terry (June) Hixson in Mesa, and Jeff Hixson in Oroville, CA. Several nieces, nephews, cousins, as well as Barb and her family, also survive Ron.

Ron was preceded in death by his beloved grandparents, parents, and niece Bethany.

A celebration of Ron’s life will be held September 13th at 11:00 a.m. at the East Park Picnic Pavilion, 11371 W Chinden Blvd (on the southeast side of the Hewlett Packard campus.)

Arrangements are under the direction of Bowman Funeral Parlor of Garden City.