Maurice Andrew "Andy" Mixson

It is with great sadness that the family of Dr. Maurice Andrew Mixson, "Andy," share the news of his passing on December 24, 2023. His life will be remembered and celebrated at 2:00 pm on Friday, December 29, 2023 at First Methodist Church in Enterprise, Alabama. Burial will immediately follow at Meadowlawn Cemetery. The family will begin receiving friends at 1:00 pm at First Methodist. In Andy's memory, charitable donations may be given to the American Heart Association or the National Kidney Foundation. Andy was born the youngest of five children to Ralph and Foy Mixson on February 11, 1933, in Skipperville, Alabama. Andy married his loving and devoted wife of 67 years, Sara Metcalf Mixson, on August 25, 1956, in Enterprise, Alabama. After receiving his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from Auburn University in 1957, he soon started his forty-year public service career as a large animal veterinarian for the United States Department of Agriculture. In 1967, the USDA appointed Andy to a special team that assisted Great Britain's Department of Agriculture in combating the outbreak of foot and mouth disease in the livestock industry of England and Scotland. Later in his career, Andy served as the USDA's Chief Staff Veterinarian for Emergency Programs. In this role, he was instrumental in the government’s efforts to prevent and contain infectious animal diseases in the nation's beef, dairy, poultry, and pork industries, directing critical emergency program campaigns related to avian influenza, bovine foot and mouth disease, and brucellosis outbreaks among others. Following his retirement from the USDA, he served as State Veterinarian for the North Carolina Department of Agriculture before moving to Hoover, Alabama, in 2008. Throughout his life, Andy held tightly to the values of simplicity, hard work, and generosity, which were the hallmarks of his upbringing in the small town of Skipperville, Alabama. Known by his friends and loved ones as a remarkably humble and kind man, Andy drew his strength from his faith in his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Stubbornly unselfish, he remained on a tireless quest until his last days to ensure his family was safe, healthy and well-provided. Wherever his work took him, Andy remained a faithful member of a local church and a supporter of many long after moving away. He was especially fond of his home church, Skipperville Methodist Church. He was keenly interested in Old Testament prophecy and world events and devoted himself to prayer for the country's spiritual awakening. Following a stroke that left him unconscious for 22 minutes at the age of 88, the grace of God and Andy's incredible determination to live gave his family the blessing of two more years to love and dote on him. The family will remain forever grateful for the extraordinary care and spiritual encouragement of his dear caregiver and friend, Vivian. Andy is survived by his wife, Sara of Hoover; his son, Michael Mixson of Hoover, Alabama; his son, David Mixson of Auburn, Alabama; his daughter, Andrea Mixson of Pelham, Alabama; his sister, Kathryn Piper; seven grandchildren; and one great grand-daughter. To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Maurice Andrew "Andy" Mixson, please visit our flower store.