John Lee Brixie
October 9, 1936 - February 22, 2021

Stephenson-Dearman Funeral Home 943 Highway 425 North Monticello, AR 71655 Map & Directions First Baptist Church 704 W. Main St. Gillett ,  AR 72055 2/27/2021 from 1:00-2:00 p.m. Map & Directions Funeral Service First Baptist Church 704 W. Main St. Gillett ,  AR 72055 2/27/2021 at 2:00 p.m. Map & Directions   Mt. Tabor Cemetery Hwy 138 Monticello, AR 71655 Map & Directions Mt. Tabor Cemetery % Clark Wilmoth Hwy. 138 Monticello, AR 71655

John Lee Brixie, age 84, of Gillett, AR, passed away Monday, February 22, 2021, at Jefferson Regional Hospital in Pine Bluff, AR. John was born at home on October 9, 1936, to the late Oather "Osie" Chester Brixie and Elvira Cecilia Stitz Brixie on Benson Lake; Brewer Bottoms, AR.

He was married to Jewel Giss Brixie in 1989. John was a welder by trade until his retirement. In addition to his parents, he is also preceded in death by one brother, Chester Lee Brixie; two sisters, Edith Tate and Magaline McCarty; one daughter, Martha Pitts; two grandsons, Stephen Haggins and Nicholas Broglin; and one step grandchild, Devan Howard.

John worked with his hands and his God given wisdom his entire life. He worked in the cotton fields and log woods of Jefferson and Arkansas counties as a child. He worked as an adult on the White River in St. Charles wearing a self-made diving helmet as he gathered mussel shells from the river bottom to sell. He worked in Detroit, MI for the Ford Motor Company then came back here to work for Layne-Arkansas for a time before opening his own welding business in Gillette. Wherever he was, John worked. John came to be revered by many in Arkansas County and beyond as having one of the most brilliant engineering minds of his time. Though John had very little formal education, he was, time and time again, the ONE person that was called upon to "figure out" the impossible. John's unique ability to look at a problem and then use leverage, weight, pressure and geometry to accomplish the task was a phenomenal thing to witness. When ALL else had failed, call John. It did not matter if John was 80' up a tree with a base of that tree 10' from your house or if John was on his hands and knees at 75 years old dragging a 150 lb. cable through the mud. If John said it would work, all you had to do was get out of the way. John shared his gifts generously, charged very meagerly and was always willing to help someone in need. Such a simple philosophy yet one that is by far the exception in today's world. John is gone and will be dearly missed. However, John's legacy and the incredible stories of his life will remain in our hearts forever.

John is survived by his wife Jewel; three daughters, Angela (Rick) Rhein of Swan Lake, AR, Susie (Farrell) Parfait of Cocoa Beach, FL, and Anita Marie Brixie of Star City, AR; two sisters, Iline Winders of Monticello, AR and Evelene Brixie of Pine Bluff, AR; two brothers, Stephen Brixie of Vermillion, OH, and Wilburn Brixie of Humphrey, AR; four step children, Wayne and Bobby Howard, Jewellee Mellor and Paula Thomas; three granddaughters, Michelle, Jamie and April; one great granddaughter; three great grandsons; six step grandchildren, Robert, Jessica, Lexy, Wyatt, Colton and Christopher; and two step great grandchildren.

Funeral service following Covid-19 guidelines will be 2:00 p.m. Saturday, February 27, 2021, at First Baptist Church in Gillett, AR. A visitation will be from 1:00-2:00 p.m. preceding the funeral service at the church. Burial will be in Mt. Tabor Cemetery. Memorials may be made to Mt. Tabor Cemetery. Online guestbook at www.stephensondearman.com.