Brian Nixon

1943 - 2017

Brian Nixon
July 30, 1943 - August 1, 2017
Pleasanton
Brian Nixon, a talented computer engineer and avid golfer, passed August 1, 2017 after an 11-month battle with ALS. He was 74. Brian was born in Glasgow, Scotland to Margaret and Alfred Nixon. When Brian was 4, the family moved to Canada. In 1959, the family moved to California. Brian graduated from Santa Clara High School and then San Jose State University with a degree in mechanical engineering. While at San Jose State, Brian met Judy Thomas. They married on January 28, 1967. The couple moved to Southern California. In 1977, Brian moved his family to the San Francisco Bay Area where he worked in the disk drive industry. He retired in 2001. During his career, Brian watched the computer memory disk shrink from a three foot diameter piece of metal to a 1 ½ inch piece of plastic. Brian was a mechanical master and worked on cars, remodeled homes, and fixed anything that didn't work. During retirement, Brian golfed and traveled the world. Brian had two holes-in-one on the Valley Course at Castlewood Country Club. Brian is survived by Judy Thomas Nixon. Brian and Judy celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary at The Hotel De Anza in San Jose, the site of their wedding reception. Brian also is survived by his sons, Thomas (John Tran) of San Jose and Robert (Christine Mayerchek) of Redding. He was predeceased by his brother, Derek Nixon. At his request, Brian's remains were cremated with the Scottish, Canadian and American flags. A celebration of his life will be held from 2pm to 5pm on Sunday, September 10, 2017, at the Club House in The Villages located at 3301 Newport Street, Pleasanton, California.


View the online memorial for Brian Nixon