Carolyn Bixby

1944 - 2015

Carolyn Bixby

Beloved wife, mother, sister, and friend, Carolyn Bixby passed away at UCLA Medical Center on November 15, 2015. She was born Carolyn May Mohr on August 27, 1944 to John and Helen Mohr of Lincoln, Nebraska. The family moved a number of times during her childhood, eventually settling in Torrance, California in the late fifties. There, Carolyn attended South High, before receiving a BS in Biochemistry and a MPH at UCLA. Her first career saw her working at the LA County Health Department and then in the lab of Dr. Jonas Salk at the Salk Institute of Biological Studies. She married Patrick Bixby on July 1, 1967 and raised two boys, Patrick Jr. and Brian, in Seal Beach, California. Returning to school in the late eighties, Carolyn received a MBA from UC Irvine and then worked in finance for companies in LA and Long Beach. During these years, she was an active volunteer, serving on the Boards of the Junior League of Long Beach and the Long Beach Opera. After retirement, she expanded her activities in the community to include Board member and President of the Long Beach Day Nursery; Howard Committee Chair for the Assistance League of Long Beach, curating the Howard Collection of Asian Art; and Board member and President of the Steel Magnolias, raising funds for the Stramski Children's Developmental Center. With her husband, she was also a member of the Alamitos Bay and Long Beach Yacht Clubs.
Carolyn's sage advice and fierce loyalty were a gift to her colleagues, friends, and family. They will remember her gentle guidance, her keen intellect, her mirthful smile, her boundless curiosity, and her many talents and passions. Throughout her life, Carolyn delighted in traveling, gardening, reading, museum-going, indulging in all things French, and entertaining others with lively stories and unforgettable meals. More than anything, she enjoyed spending time with her family. Carolyn is survived by her husband and sons, her sister, Jane Franklin and brother, John Mohr Jr., and her daughters-in-law Christine and Nicole Bixby, as well as her adoring grandchildren, Liam, Claire, Corinne, and Owen Bixby, who knew her as "mémé." She was deeply loved and will be dearly missed. In lieu of flowers, please consider a contribution to the Steel Magnolias, the Long Beach Day Nursery, or the Prentice School in Santa Ana, California. Please sign the guestbook at www.presstelegram.com/obits