Barbara Nixon

Barbara Ann Nixon, 72, of Kalamazoo, peacefully fell asleep on October 30, 2024 and awaits the return of Christ. 

Barbi was born on November 16, 1951, to Barbara and Richard P. Bertrand in Boston, Massachusetts. She attended Quincy High School. She also attended one of the first national surgical technologist schools and jump started her career.

In 1972, Barbi met Bob in New Knoxville, Ohio. Both served on the mission field in Michigan and were married at the end of the year on August 12, 1973. They entered a three-year Christian leadership program and served in various places and capacities until moving to Michigan in 1994. Barbi and Bob have two children, James and Thomas.

In June 2016, Barbi retired from Bronson after 19 years, one month, and one day. She spent her time with her husband, cats, and backyard squirrels enjoying every moment of life.

Barbi was predeceased by her parents Barbara and Richard and brother Richard Bertrand. She is survived by her husband Bob Nixon, sons James and Tom Nixon, daughter-in-laws Becca and Tracy Nixon, and grandchildren Zane and Jaymee Nixon and Robin Homan.

Services will be held privately at the Kalamazoo Nature Center. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Kalamazoo Nature Center's forest restoration project called Friends of the Forest. See below for a description of this project that Barbi and Bob have been supporting for the past several years. 

 Friends of the Forest

KNC’s sugarbush is an area of beech-maple forest along the rolling glacial topography of our Fern Valley Trail. While not old growth, this area has still been a key feature of KNC’s trails and programs for generations. This area is not far from the forests whose protection inspired KNC’s initial formation as an organization in 1960.

The nature center has provided maple sugaring programs to the public in these forests since 1965. Sadly, these forests are also very vulnerable to invasive pests, like the emerald ash borer, and climate change. Over the last decade, these forests lost hundreds of ash trees, leading to a proliferation of autumn olive and honeysuckle growth. This kind of disturbance outcompetes the regeneration of native plants and threatens the forest’s resilience over time.

Acre by acre, restoration of this space is possible and promising. The team has been working to remove invasive shrubs, clear away woody debris, and make room for reforestation. Starting in 2020, KNC staff, volunteers, and Heronwood students planted over 60 trees and shrubs in this area with the goal of diversifying the forest canopy and protecting the programs of KNC’s future. Last fall, these partners planted another 100 trees, adding both species and genetic diversity. This restoration project fits with many of the goals in KNC’s broader sustainability plans, helping to maintain the health of our forests, enhance our forest’s recovery after disturbance, and boost the forest’s ability to take in carbon over time.

You can help! KNC has big plans to continue the management of the previously restored acres and expand the plantings further.

Please follow the link below. In the area “What prompted you to give?” select the drop-down option “In memory of Barbi Nixon” and use the Comments area to record on behalf of.

Friends of the Forest

While visiting Barbi’s webpage at www.amsfuneralhomes.com please sign the guestbook and/or share a memory with the family. The family is being assisted by Avink, McCowen & Secord Funeral Home; 120 S. Woodhams St. Plainwell, MI 49080 (269-685-5881).