Bill Nix

Bill Nix, 72, of Thomasville, MO was born in Troy, Alabama, the son of Curtis and Jewel Nix. The family then moved to Wabasso, Florida, where Bill grew up on the Indian River. On June 21, 1971, he married the love of his life, Deanna, at Vero Beach, Florida. To this union they were blessed with their son, Jeremy. Bill’s desire to acquire land for their young family eventually led them to the Ozarks. They were fortunate enough to purchase some land on the “Divide” which is located between the Middle Fork and the Eleven Point Rivers when Jeremy was only two years old. They built their first home on their property and loved life in the Ozarks. For a while, Bill worked at a sawmill near Thomasville. He then started working for Amyx Manufacturing in West Plains. He also worked for a while for the Oregon County Ambulance Service. Eventually, he started working at the Rehab Center in West Plains as an EMT, and then as their medical director. The desire to provide a good life for his family led him to start driving a semi truck over the road. He worked for a few companies before finally settling in with CFI out of Joplin, MO. Bill drove for them 25 plus years and amassed almost three million miles incident free upon retirement. Bill loved to hunt deer and turkey. His CB handle while trucking was “Wild Turkey” because Bill loved to turkey hunt so much. He shared his hunting stories with his coworkers and hence the CB handle “Wild Turkey” was born. He also enjoyed fishing and spearfishing, and was a certified scuba diver. Bill & Deanna & Jeremy, Mary & Ethan loved to go canoeing, camping, and riding side-by-sides. Bill especially loved spending time with his Grandson Ethan, who was very special to him. Deanna and Bill had a wonderful 53 years of marriage. Bill’s family was his world. Bill was a gracious man and loved to help others. Bill & Deanna thoroughly loved their life in the Ozarks, especially their beautiful Thomasville community. A prime example of the good-hearted person Bill was is that when he retired from CFI Trucking in 2019, he soon joined the Thomasville Volunteer Fire Department. They had recently acquired a large military tanker, and the volunteer fire department needed someone with excellent driving skills and experience. Bill answered the call for duty and began his journey of service with the Thomasville Volunteer Fire Department. In 2022, he was selected as the Firefighter of the year for the department. Answering the call of duty, on the evening of January 16th he was a passenger in a fire department pumper enroute to a fire, which was involved in a single vehicle accident. Unfortunately, Bill succumbed to his injuries at the scene, paying the ultimate sacrifice for others in his community. His actions in his personal life and giving back to the community should be an example for all of us to try to follow. Bill is survived by his wife, Deanna, of the family home, their son Jeremy & his wife Mary, and their son, Ethan of Thomasville. Bill is also survived by six siblings, all of whom live in Florida, a brother-in-law and sister-in-law of Thomasville, many nieces and nephews, and great-nieces and great-nephews. He is preceded in death by his parents, Curtis & Jewel Nix, and two infant grandchildren: Summer Dawn who passed away in 1994, and James who passed away in 2003. Bill was of the Christian faith. In lieu of flowers, Deanna requests donations be made in honor of Bill to: Thomasville Volunteer Fire Department 134 Old Street Birch Tree, MO 65438 A service will be held on Jan. 28, 2025, at Trinity Worship Center. Visitation from 1 pm to 3 pm and then the service will be immediately held after the visitation at 3 pm.

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Bill Nix

November 5, 1952 - January 16, 2025