Philip Taylor Bixby

In his time at UW-Madison, Philip Taylor Bixby studied the farm and industry short course with the goal of farming the land to which his family had tended for decades in Appleton, Wis., which included the growing of alfalfa and cabbage. Philip was known to be business-oriented and pragmatic. His family described his personality as fiery and his commitment to family to be unwavering. Early in life, Philip married the love of his life, Rosemary (Pekarske) Bixby. The high school sweethearts had two children. Together, they managed a family farm along Prospect Avenue in Appleton. Philip left to serve his country during World War II (WWII). He became a tank commander and served as the first lieutenant of the 67th Armored Regiment in the 2nd Armored Division of the Army. During his service, he traveled to North Africa, Sicily, Normandy and Germany. Prior to his passing, he spent a short but precious time with his family in Appleton while on leave He was told he and his fellow service members were going to capture Berlin and that the country needed all the veterans to serve. After returning to his unit, Philip was killed by an enemy sniper April 14, 1945, near the Elbe River outside Magdenburg, Germany. He was 29 years old. The 2nd Armored Division crossed the River, but they were ordered back, so the Russians could take Berlin. A month later, the war was over. Several thousand service members were killed in that last offensive at the Elbe. Most are buried in Margraten Military Cemetery in the Netherlands. After four years in combat and several purple hearts, Philip died during the last days of the war. After Philip’s passing, his second son, Ronald, was born in November 1945. His brother Charles Howard Bixby was also killed during WWII. On Dec. 7, 1945, Charles Howard’s and Philip’s mother, Alice Bixby, was presented two gold star certificates in honor of her two fallen sons and in acknowledgement of their heroism and dedication to serving their country. To read more about Charles Howard's and Philip's story, visit http://terraceviews.org/philip-and-charles-howard-bixby.