Mr. Nixon, 92, of Denver, died April 15, 2011, at Lake Norman Regional Medical Center.
Born in Lincoln County on Jan. 6, 1919, Mr. Nixon was the son of the late James Lester and Claude Graham Nixon.
He was a descendant of Major General Joseph Graham, a Revolutionary War leader and plantation owner.
Mr. Nixon served in the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II and was a Lieutenant in the North Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles License, Theft and Weight Enforcement Section for 26 years. He was a member of the Denver Masonic Lodge and Oasis Shriners. Mr. Nixon helped in the formation of the Denver Volunteer Fire Department. He was a lifelong member of Unity Presbyterian Church, held many offices in the church and was a major proponent in the movement to keep Unity Presbyterian Church in the Presbyterian Church USA.
He was preceded in death by his wife of 64 years, Edith Barker Nixon.
He is survived by his daughter Terri Nixon, of Denver, daughter Gwen Paul and husband, John, of Greenville, S.C.; granddaughter Nikki Cantey and husband, Billy, of Columbia, S.C., and two great-grandsons, William and John Graham Cantey, of Columbia, S.C.
A funeral was held April 18 at Warlick Funeral Home Lincolnton, led by the Rev. Tim Killian. He was buried in the Unity Presbyterian Church Cemetery.
Memorials: Humane Society of Lincoln County, P.O. Box 23, Lincolnton, NC 28093.