LaVetta M. “Skip” Hixson
LaVetta M. “Skip” Hixson, 93, of Prairie du Chien, passed away Wednesday, April 19, at Orchard Manor Nursing Home, rural Lancaster.
She was born on April 2, 1924, the daughter of Henry and Mary “Rene” (Standorf) Kovars. She only weighed one and one half pounds at birth. She was put in a shoe box and placed on the oven door with jars of warm water placed on each side of the shoe box to keep her warm.
LaVetta went eight years to grade school at Pleasant Valley School. She then went four years to Muscoda High School and graduated in 1943. In the fall of 1943, she moved to Rhode Island and worked at the Navy Base. In 1945, she met Russell Hixson and they moved to Indiana.
She married Russell in 1946, at Forrest Park, Ill. Russell nicknamed her Skip which most people still call her today. They resided in Roselawn, Ind., for three years and later moved to Chicago, where she worked at Vaughn Can Company and did waitress work. After three years they moved back to Crown Point, Ind. In 1965, they moved to Rolling Hills, Ind., where she worked at the Hammond Clinic for eight and a half years. In October 1974, they moved to Wisconsin and stayed with Virginia and Keith Miles for a month and then moved to Bloomington.
She worked at Rapid Dye & Molding in Cassville for a year and a half. She then went to work at Wisconsin Dairies in Lancaster for two and a half years. After Russell died in November of 1979, she stayed with Virginia and Keith Miles. In February of 1980, started work at 3M company in Prairie du Chien. She moved to Prairie and continued to work at 3M until September of 1995, when she retired. She was still living in Prairie du Chen at the time of her death.
Survivors include two grandchildren Derek Breuer and Darletta (James) Bauer; two great-grandchildren Synjun and Shania Bauer; a son-in-law Jim (Mary Kay Abing) Breuer; her siblings Jack (Millie) Kovars, Alvin (Norlinda) Kovars, Rollin (Kathy) Kovars, Joseph (Elaine) Kovars, Mary Kovars (Billy) Culligan, Sam Kovars and Wanda Potter Gansemer; a sister-in-law Janice (Bob) Kovars; many nieces, nephews and a very special friend, Doris Jones.
In addition to her parents, LaVetta was preceded in death by her husband, Russell Hixson; a daughter LaVina “Bunny” Breuer; a great-grandson Ryan Breuer; her siblings Virginia (Keith) Miles, Robert Kovars, Henry O. Kovars, John Kovars, Robert (Nancy) Potter, Lavonne Kovars Fortner, Rosalie Kovars Post, Jean Potter Buss; brothers- in-law Warren “Scoop” Buss and Joe Demes; and three infant Kovars brothers.
Graveside services were held Saturday, April 22, at 11 a.m. at Dodge Cemetery, Beetown Township. Martin Schwartz Funeral Home and Crematory of Bloomington is assisting the family. Online condolences may be left at www.martinschwartzfuneralhomes.com.
