Dear Friends,

[darrels joy]

Dear Friends,

I have returned from my namesake Uncle's funeral, Lowell Edward Mix. He was a very loved man. There were several hundred people attending his funeral, and I met relatives I did not even know I had. I was able to recover some of the genealogy data that I had lost previously from his large Mix Family Bible, and add to it. Any of you who are genealogists, can find his obituary in the on-line version of the News Herald for Panama City, FL.

As I mentioned previously, he was a WWII Veteran, and was the pilot of a B-24, flying bombing missions in North Africa, Germany and over Romanian Oil Fields. On Feb 23rd, 2009, he got his last wish to be able to see another B-24 before he died. Some one has restored the only remaining flyable B-24, and flew it to an airbase near where he lived for viewing in Feb 2009. He heard it fly over his house, and immediately recognized it, sight unseen, by the sound of the engines. When he heard that it was on display at a field near where he lived, he and his wife went to visit it, and he was allowed to get in it and sit in the pilot's seat again. He said he felt so at home that he was ready to take off in it. If you want to view a video of this experience, you may do so by going to www.newsherald.com and look at the issue published on 22 April 2009, the day of his funeral, Section B, (Panama City News Herald) titled, "Final Mission." There is also a picture published in that newspaper of Lowell sitting in the pilot's seat of that B-24.

Lowell always prayed for the safety of his crew before each of the 52 bombing mission he flew. That answers why he came though the war without a scratch, and none of he crew members were ever injured when they were flying with him. At one time, he was awarded the DFC (Distinguished Flying Cross) for bringing back a B-24 that was so shot up that theoretically it was not flyable. They had flown through a lot of flack, and there were 177 holes in the plane, including one big enough that the tail gunner could not crawl to the front of the plane. Two engines were on fire and Lowell had ordered the crew to put on their chutes and opened the bomb bay doors, telling them to prepare for the order to jump. But he was able to put out the engine fires, and bring the plane safely back so they did not have to abandon the plane. Lowell had an uncanny and natural flying ability of the caliber of the Blue Angels.

Lowell also had the ability to write poetry and to play the piano by ear.

He taught Sunday School the last 45 years at St. Andrews Baptist Church and influenced the lives of several hundred people, which accounts a lot for the large number of people who attended his funeral. I do not believe he had an enemy in the world, and was loved by everyone who knew him.

After my father died in 1964, Lowell became like a father to me, and was very influential in my brother and sister's lives, as well as my own.

Upon his discharge after WWII, Lowell went into business selling, transporting, and repairing mobile homes in Panama City, FL. He also set up a mobile home park, called "Anchors Aweigh" on W 19th St in Panama City, and worked at both of them until he retired in his 70's. He and his wife, Viola BUZZARD MIX were married 67 years and had four children and four grandchildren. One daughter preceded him in death.

Lowell will be missed by all who knew him. But his funeral was a celebration of his life as he is now with his Father in Heaven, his daughter who died at age 25 from cancer, and his mother that he loved so dearly, but lost at age 14. Lowell E. Mix was born 27 October 1919, and passed away on 18 April 2009 at age 89. We can praise God as one of his Saints has gone home.

Lowell J. Mix