Harold Downs Nixon

Harold Downs Nixon passed away September 14th, 2022, at the age of ninety-four. He was surrounded by his loving family and beloved pets. He was predeceased by his parents, Henry Beauregard Nixon and Ira Cook Nixon, his beloved wife Betty Ann Nixon, his sister, Marion Allen, and a grandson, Mark Nixon. He is survived by his children, Randy Clark (Cheryl) Nixon, Harold Mark (Sandra) Nixon, Charlotte Ann (Clark) Taylor, and Matthew Brian (Melanie) Nixon, nine grandchildren and numerous great-grandchildren. Harold was born in Lagrange, Georgia January 8th, 1928, to Henry and Ira Nixon. He spent most of his childhood in Lagrange working at his father’s service station or at Dixie Mills until his graduation from Lagrange High School. He met Betty Ann Shelnutt his senior year of high school and they began dating, but only during the week. He recalled that Betty loved to dance, and Saturdays were for dancing. She eventually taught him to dance, and they fell in love. After his graduation, he joined the Army and he and Betty married shortly thereafter. Soon after, Betty gave birth to the twins, Mark, and Clark, then their only daughter Charlotte, and finally, Matt. After his tour in Panama as a sharpshooter for the military in the forties, Harold enjoyed a career in transit. From long haul trucking to trolley driving, he served his community and country in many ways by getting folks and things where they needed to go with a hard-working attitude and a smile. After retiring from Roadway, he and Betty moved to Cape Coral, Florida where he fulfilled his dream and bought a sailboat, the Beaujolais. As much as he loved the sailboat, Betty hated it, and he was finally convinced to sell it. He began driving trolleys at the beach in Fort Myers, Florida for fun, which eventually turned into his second career. His granddaughter, Ashlee Jones, fondly recalls many trolley rides, enjoying jamocha shakes and napping in the sun while riding with Grandma Betty and Grandaddy Harold. When not enjoying cruises with Betty in their retirement, he was at home spending time with his family and enjoying his new boat, aptly named the Betty Ann, out on the Caloosahatchee River. After Betty passed away, Harold developed a strong bond and special relationship with his newborn granddaughter, Kaity. While he loved all his grandchildren, he and Kaity were buddies and enjoyed time together daily until his passing. While he loved us all, we all knew Kaity was his person and reason for carrying on after the loss of Betty. After moving to Piedmont AL in the early 2010’s, Harold enjoyed the mountain air with his numerous dogs and helping his family get settled into their homesteads just off the Talladega National Forest. No matter where he was, family always surrounded him, both human and animal. He will be greatly missed by all his loved ones and while we are sad to see him go, I think we can all agree that we were happy to have him with us for the time that we did, that he was the greatest man we had ever known, and that we all love him tremendously. He will be laid to rest on Friday, September 16th in a private ceremony. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to St. Jude’s hospital or your local animal shelter.

Harold Downs Nixon

January 8, 1928 - September 14, 2022