Marion E. Nix

Marion E. Nix, 102, formerly of Fort Wayne and Whitley County, passed away Tuesday, July 12, 2022 in Bedford, Texas. Born July 28, 1919 in Camden, New Jersey, she was the daughter of Raymond and Stella (Mills) Trumbower.

When Marion was 1, her family moved to Fort Wayne, Indiana where she graduated from Central High School and attended Warner Beauty College.  Marion worked at General Electric as a clerk from 1940 to 1944. Marion also taught dance at the Arthur Murray Dance Center.

During World War II, Marion enlisted in the U.S. Navy in May of 1944. Marion served in Washington D.C. at the Bureau of Ships as a Teletype Operator. Her work was top secret; but in her free time, she volunteered at Walter Reed Hospital helping soldiers' write letters home. A highlight of her service was when she represented the Women of the Navy by attending the funeral of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Marion also played an extra in the movie, "Here Come the Waves" starring Betty Hutton and Bing Crosby.

Returning home to Indiana, where she met Alfred J. Nix; her life would forever be changed. On April 10, 1948, they were married at The Cathedral Catholic Church in Fort Wayne.

After marriage, Marion and Al lived in rural Whitley County where she assisted with Stoneybrook Stock Farm along with raising her two adopted children, Fred and Lou Ann.   The family were members of St. Catherine's Catholic Church. Following retirement, Al and Marion moved to Pinellas Park, Florida for 20 years and in 1992 moved to Fort Wayne. Following the death of her husband Al, Marion moved to Texas to be closer to her daughter.

Marion is survived by her daughter and son-in-law, Lou Ann and Charles Falkenstein; granddaughter and her husband, Ann and Tyler Hastings; and great-grandchildren, Luke and Hannah Hastings. Along with her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband Al "Short" Nix on March 22, 2006; son, Fred L. Nix on November 13, 2011; brother, Bill Trumbower; and sister, Thelma Halliburton.

A gathering of family and friends will be 3 to 6 p.m., Thursday, August 4, 2022 at DeMoney-Grimes Funeral Home, 600 Countryside Drive, Columbia City. Mass of Christian Burial will be 10 a.m. Friday at St. Catherine's Catholic Church, with visitation one hour prior. Father Dale A. Bauman will be officiating. Marion will be laid to rest beside her husband and son at St. Catherine's Nix Settlement Cemetery. Memorial donations may be given in her memory to Saint Catherine's Catholic Church Cemetery Perpetual Care Fund, or to the Parkinson Voice Project, 646 North Coit Road Suite 2250, Richardson, Texas 75080, 1-855-707-7325 , www.ParkinsonVoiceProject.org. Visit www.DeMoneyGrimes.com to send Marion's family online condolences.