Jean Triplett Bixler

Jean Triplett Bixler died on Sept. 8, 2024, in Durango, Colo. She was 85. 

Jean was born on Aug. 15, 1939, in Bayfield, Colo., the oldest of four children born to Olen and Jennie Lee Triplett. She graduated from Farmington High School in New Mexico in 1957, and she later attended Fort Lewis College in Durango; West Texas State (now West Texas A&M) in Canyon, Texas; Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colo.; and Western New Mexico University in Silver City, N.M. She ultimately earned a bachelor’s degree in animal husbandry and a master’s in education. 

From 1963 to 1965, Jean proudly served in the Peace Corps, where she worked in various countries in South America—including Colombia and Ecuador—teaching healthy and sustainable farming techniques to locals. 

Upon her return to the United States, Jean worked as a high school teacher in Dove Creek, Colo., and later Gobernador, N.M. In Gobernador, while looking for horse pasture, she met Fred Bixler, a rancher and World War II veteran. She wound up with more than a horse pasture; she got to live her dream of being a rancher; raising Hereford cattle. Fred and Jean married on March 29, 1969. They spent their life in the saddle on the Bixler Ranch in Northwest New Mexico where they raised three daughters: Darby, Diane, and Krista. Jean was an amazing and resourceful rancher who was brilliant at managing both a home and a ranch; magically providing meals at the end of a hard day of moving cattle. 

After Fred died on Oct. 29, 1991, after 22 years of marriage, Jean resumed her teaching career, this time teaching elementary students in Crownpoint, N.M. 

After retiring, Jean moved to Fort Sumner, N.M., to be near her parents. When they died in the early 2000s, Jean transitioned to Farmington, N.M., to be near her daughter Diane. In 2022, Jean made her final home at an assisted living center in Mancos, Colo. 

Jean’s first passion was serving the Lord, which she did primarily through teaching Sunday school in all the places she lived over the years. Her daughters recall that Jean “did a lot of studying” to prepare for her lessons every Sunday, and she taught both children and senior adults across her lifetime. 

Another of Jean’s passions was 4-H, with which she was actively involved for many decades. Involved as a youth, she attended the 38th National 4H Congress in 1959. Her children and grandchildren followed in her footsteps, and she always provided active support for their various projects, from sewing, braiding, and leatherwork to horse and cattle projects and wildlife study. Jean was a 4-H leader for many children in her community.

Relatedly, Jean was the only female member of the Block and Bridle club at West Texas State during her time there, proving her unique devotion to animal agriculture. A photo in the 1963 annual from West Texas A&M confirms Jean’s participation in the otherwise all-male group, which serves as a source of great pride especially to the three of her grandchildren who also graduated from the school decades later. 

Jean loved hunting, camping, and hiking. She dreamed of hiking the entire Continental Divide. She was a conservationist – always doing what she could for the land.

Jean was an avid football fan and loved the Denver Broncos. She watched all the games and kept stats on teams and players across the NFL.

Everyone enjoyed receiving her annual Christmas letter, which chronicled the events and achievements of her family and friends.

Jean was a friend to everyone she met. She was kind, humble, courageous, adventurous, and one of the toughest ladies you could ever meet.

Jean was preceded in death by her husband of 22 years, Fred; her parents: Olen and Jennie Lee Triplett, and her siblings: Peggy, Troy, and Duane.

She is survived by three daughters: Darby Livingston (and husband Joe), Diane Dean (and husband Andrew), and Krista Wilson; five grandchildren: Dustin, Brecka (and husband Alex), Trey (and wife Abby), Clayton (and wife Kaitlyn), and Tyler; and four great-grandchildren: Lorien, Cooper, Nolan, and Sadie.

A graveside service will be held at 1:00 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 13, at Ignacio Cemetery East in Ignacio, Colo.

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