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:
01/11/2025
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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