John R. Nix, Jr.

STERLING – John R. Nix Jr., 77, of Sterling, died Monday, July 29, 2019, at CGH Medical Center in Sterling.

He was born on December 16, 1941 in Sterling, the son of John Robert and Margaret (McKenna) Nix, Sr. He served in the Vietnam War as a SP5 with the Army. He married Audrey S. (Hodges) Stouffer on November 8, 1990. John retired in 2002 as a correctional officer with the Illinois Department of Corrections in Dixon. He was a member of the First Christian Church of Sterling; the Dixon American Legion; and the VFW. He was a kind, loving man who will be greatly missed by so many.

Survivors include the love of his life, Audrey; their children: Michael (Jim) Nix-Tipton of Austin, TX, Dana Nix (Lynn Klotzbuecher) of Pewaukee, WI, Shelly (Jay) Donaldson of Freeport, Amy Lawson (Derrick Boyer) of Dixon and Laura (Chad) Stoudt of Sterling; his sister, Mary Ann Brown of Okmulgee, OK; his grandchildren: Alex (Tyler) Hocraffer, Kylie (Josh) Heise, Maddie Donaldson, Mallory Donaldson, Dustin Stoudt, Aubrey Stoudt, Michael Lawson, Shawn Vaage and Andrew Vaage; 4 great-grandsons; his brothers-in-law: Toby (Deb) Hodges of Dixon and George (Elizabeth) Hodges of Grapeland, TX; his sisters-in-law: Patricia (Bill) Gower of Cottage Grove, WI and Mary (Jack) Peat of Stoughton, WI; numerous nieces and nephews and his faithful companion “Bella.”

He was preceded in death by his parents and his son-in-law, Ron Lawson.

Visitation will be held on Wednesday, July 31, 2019 from 5 to 7 p.m. at the McDonald Funeral Home & Crematory, 1002 12th Avenue in Rock Falls. The funeral will follow on Thursday at 11 a.m. at the First Christian Church in Sterling. Private family burial with military honors will conclude on Friday at Sugar Grove Cemetery.

Memorials in his memory to American Diabetes Association and to the First Christian Church of Sterling.