USN Riley Dewitt Mixson Rear Admiral

1936 - 2022

Rear Admiral Riley Dewitt Mixson, US Navy, Ret., passed away on Wednesday, April 27 in San Diego, California at the age of 86.
Admiral Mixson proudly served in the U.S. Navy for 36 years. His duties included combat tours in Vietnam, command positions of the Red Sea Carrier Strike Force during Desert Shield and Desert Storm, a carrier battle group, a combat logistics support ship, a carrier airwing and a light attack squadron.
Among his many shore assignments, Admiral Mixson served as Director Air Warfare for the Chief of Naval Operations, Executive Director of the Joint Strategic Defense Planning Staff for the United States Space Command, and Deputy Director Systems Analysis Division.
Admiral Mixson did not come from a military background but becoming a Navy pilot was his lifelong dream come true. Admiral Mixson was born September 23, 1936, in Greenville, SC to Dewitt and Mary Ellen Mixson. The first in his family to go to college, he graduated from Vanderbilt University in 1958, attending AOCS (Air Officer's Candidate School) and later earned master's degrees from both George Washington University and the U.S. Naval Post Graduate School.
Upon retirement from active duty in 1994, Admiral Mixson moved to Pt. Loma, CA and founded RDM and Associates, an aerospace consulting firm specializing in executive level planning, contracting, and implementation of key DOD programs. Admiral Mixson was also active in the following areas and boards:
• Active in the Department of Defense Transformation Process
• Serving as an advisory/study board member on various projects for DARPA, the Defense Science Board, the Naval Studies Board, and the Air Force Science Advisory Board.
• Key team leader in bringing the F/A-18 Super Hornet to fruition as the backbone of carrier aviation for the next twenty years
• Director on a number of North American corporate boards involved in aerospace manufacturing and advanced systems development.
• Executive Director and Vice Chairman of the Board for establishing the USS Midway Museum in San Diego.
• Board Member, San Diego Symphony

Among his many achievements, Admiral Mixson was extremely honored and proud to have been an integral part of the 12-year campaign to bring the USS Midway to San Diego from Bremerton, WA, and installing it as the world's largest floating naval aviation museum. The USS Midway Museum opened in June 2004.
When summarizing other significant moments of his career, he listed "Spending Christmas Eve 1990 with my Navy son and a few of his USMC comrades on my flagship USS John F. Kennedy, just prior to their departure for the front lines in Kuwait."
Admiral Mixson was predeceased by his wife of 28 years, Annette V.G. Mixson.
He is survived by his 4th wife Patricia Mixson, son Steve Mixson of Golden, CO, daughter Betsy Kominsky of Bozeman, MT, stepson Jeffrey Van Gundy of Oceanside, CA, stepdaughter Terry Kotal Johnson of Sisters, OR, and seven grandchildren.
Services with full military honors will take place at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery, San Diego.
In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to Admiral Mixson's favorite charities: Sharp HospiceCare, The USS Midway Foundation, the Gary Sinise Foundation, and the San Diego Symphony.