More detail on this person: RONALD E. FIX
1942-2006 a highly decorated Vietnam vet who
rarely spoke of his feats. Ronald E. Fix had many
nicknames. During his Marine Corps tenure, he
was called Sand Dollar, a reflection of his
spirituality and the five wounds of Jesus Christ
and Easter lily that legend says are imprinted on
the sand dollar. His co-workers at American
Airlines called him Colonel -- a nod to his rank
as a retired U.S. Marine Corps officer and his
executive-style approach to work and life.
Friends called him The Godfather because he was
so strategic when he helped found an organization
devoted to the OV-10 Bronco plane. Burial information: Dallas-Fort Worth National Cemetery, Dallas, TX
This information was last updated 05/18/2016
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Date posted on this site:
10/23/2024
Copyright © 1998 - 2024 Vietnam Helicopter Pilots Association
Mr. Fix, 63, of Colleyville died June 3 of a heart
attack. He was a former Marine aviator who served
two tours of duty in the Vietnam War and earned
two Distinguished Flying Crosses, a Bronze Star
and three Purple Hearts, among other medals.
He later worked as a stockbroker and as a pilot
and flight instructor for American Airlines.
But Mr. Fix did not talk much about his
accomplishments. He wore his medals on his
Marine uniform, said his friend Jim Hodgson, a
Continental Airlines pilot who lives in Grapevine.
"But he never talked about them." Mr. Fix's son,
Jim Fix, a psychologist who lives in San Diego,
said he learned about his father's experiences in
Vietnam from printouts of the medal citations and
e-mails from family friends.
Despite his privacy, Mr. Fix was friendly and
well-liked. When his son once flew with his
father, at least 50 flight attendants and other
crew members approached Mr. Fix to say hi. Jim
Fix said he's received e-mails from pilots who
said his father worked for them on a holiday. "He
was a good dad," his son said, then started
chuckling. "But he was very meticulous in what he
did." Hodgson could attest to that. Mr. Fix once
even tidied up Hodgson's not-so-clean garage. But
that attention to detail served Mr. Fix well when
he helped form the Bronco Association, in 1998.
He spent hours conducting research and talking to
pilots, said member Jim Bloomberg of North
Richland Hills, an instructor pilot for an
aviation training company.
The association's work, housed in the Vintage
Flying Museum at Meacham Airport, features the
history of the OV-10 and a factory mock-up.
Bloomberg said Mr. Fix became a father figure for
him after Bloomberg's father died. Mr. Fix offered
sound advice but put him in his place when needed,
Bloomberg said. "Whenever he said, 'Hey, I gotta
tell you,' you stopped and listened to what he had
to say," Bloomberg said.
Survivors include wife Gerry Harrison Fix, mother
Lillian Fix, daughter Kimberly Fix and brother
Carlton "Bud" Fix.
Memorials can be made to the Ron Fix Memorial
Fund, OV-10 Bronco Association, 505 N.W. 38th
St., Hangar 33 South, Fort Worth, TX 76106. A
memorial service will take place at 3 p.m. today
at Bluebonnet Hills Funeral Home in Colleyville.
Burial will be at the Dallas-Fort Worth National
Cemetery.
From: Pat Richardson