Sidney R. Bixler

Sidney Rodgers Bixler of Jaffrey, New Hampshire, passed away Saturday, August 17, 2019 peacefully at home surrounded by friends and family. His lifelong dedication to civil rights, ending gun violence, and his passion for the law will be greatly missed.

On October 8, 1939, Sid was born to the late Herbert Edwards Bixler and Agnes MacAulay Rodgers. Sid graduated from Amherst College (Class of 1961) and Harvard Law School (Class of 1964). After graduating, Sid went to work in Anchorage, Alaska from 1964-1969.

He moved to Washington, DC in 1969 and joined the U.S. Department of Justice, working in the Tax Division from 1969-1971 and in the Civil Rights Division from 1971-1979. With the Civil Rights Division, he began the work of which he was most proud - enforcing voting rights, monitoring redistricting, and filing lawsuits that came from investigations and/or citizen complaints, mainly in Mississippi and Virginia.

Sid went into private practice from 1979-1992 where he began to focus on helping individuals in the area of criminal defense. He realized he could help both the criminal and the victim by becoming a compassionate prosecutor. He joined the Attorney General’s Office of the District of Columbia (formerly known as the Office of the Corporation Council) in 1992 from which he retired in 2011.

After retiring, Sid moved into his beloved family home in Jaffrey, NH where he spent his childhood as a “summer kid.” In retirement he connected with life-long friends, volunteered for the Red Cross, and served as a board member at the local Thorndike Club. He was a member of the Monadnock Quaker Meeting.

Sid leaves behind his wife Nan Beiter; son Joshua Bixler; son Matthew Bixler and his wife Melissa Bixler, his grandson Carter Bixler; daughter Joanna Beiter; daughter Meg Beiter and her husband Spencer Henderson; his sister Aggie Bixler Kurtz and her husband Tom Kurtz; his sister Elizabeth Bixler and her spouse Betsy East; and many friends.

A Memorial service will be held at 2:00 pm on Saturday, October 5th at the First Church In Jaffrey UCC, 14 Laban Ainsworth Way, Jaffrey, NH 03452 with a reception to follow.

Sid’s family requests no flowers please. In lieu of flowers, please make memorial donations in Sid’s name to the American Friends Service Committee of New Hampshire, 4 Park Street, Suite 304, Concord, NH 03301.