Judd Hixson
Paul Judd Hixson, 82, of Orem, Utah, passed away on July 17, 2025. Judd was born July 13, 1943, at Holy Cross Hospital in Salt Lake City, Utah but quickly moved and was raised in the heart of the San Joaquin Valley in the small agricultural community of Tulare, California.
When Judd was just 14 years old, his father passed away suddenly from undetected brain cancer. His devoted mother never remarried, focusing her energy on raising her children—Geri, Margaret, Judd, and little brother Ronny—instilling in Judd the values that would shape his entire life. His youth was filled with stories worthy of a rewrite of The Little Rascals series. Shooting arrows straight into the air and standing still to see who was bravest (and getting your foot pinned to the ground) was just a snippet of the carefree life Judd lived as a kid, cowboy, and Indian while finding his way through adolescence.
As Judd graduated high school and reached life’s greatest crossroad, he chose to serve an LDS mission at 19 and was called to the London, England mission. Little did he know how impactful this decision would be on his remaining 60+ years. Through stories of his time in England, Judd instilled in all his children a love for a country and people they would never visit or meet. Thanks to Judd and his two years in England, the country became some far-off magical place to the Hixson Muggles. More importantly, it taught his children that “Our dad is a man of faith, a man of service, and a man of God. Our dad is a good man.”
After returning from England, Judd’s family had moved to Mountain View, California, when an annual salary of around $10,000 would allow you to live there. It was there that Judd met Gail Lynn Jorgensen. It’s a beautiful story full of Judd charming Gail away from her existing lengthy relationship, but you’ll have to wait until you get the chance to meet Judd—it’s best when he tells it.
The new couple moved to Provo, Utah, to attend BYU because at the time, BYU was considered a better option than going to the local university, Stanford. After a few years and a few kids, Judd earned his history degree from Brigham Young University in the mid-1960s with a minor in the fairly new field of kinesiology. After testing the waters in insurance, Judd stumbled into teaching high school religion (seminary) at the advice of a local bishop. This little experiment of “trying out teaching seminary” led him down a 40+ year career he simply couldn’t escape. He loved teaching the youth—not just religion, but interacting, guiding, counseling, and helping those searching for their purpose in life. It was one of Judd’s greatest hobbies and talents.
With six kids and about 20 years of teaching while working 3-4 side jobs that still weren’t paying the bills, Judd learned that if he earned his master’s degree, his pay would increase enough to help subsidize the extra jobs he worked evenings to make ends meet. Judd completed his Master of Education from BYU in just 12 months. Afterward, he was asked if he’d like to possibly return home to the Bay Area and help start up the religion institute at a little-known university in the area—Stanford. Judd’s passion for teaching high school students won out, and he decided to stick around the happy valley of Utah County, where he would continue to influence countless lives with his unique perspective and teaching style.
Judd was married to Gail Lynn Hixson for 60 years until his passing. Together they raised six children: Angie, Danny, Amy, Paul, Michael, and Dane. Judd was blessed with 23 grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren, who brought him immense joy. Two of the most memorable experiences for Judd and Gail were their trip to the middle east to study Jerusalem, Egypt and all things historically christian and their 12 months they got to serve together in Albuquerque, New Mexico as missionaries for their church.
Judd remained a child at heart throughout his life. He was carefree yet worked tirelessly to provide for his family, often taking on additional evening jobs including janitorial services, painting houses, and what became his favorite pastime—woodworking. The garage, which normally would hold a car or two, housed all of Judd’s woodworking tools and affectionately displayed a “Santa’s Workshop” sign on the door through the months of November and December. When he wasn’t in his workshop, Judd could often be found camping and fishing, sharing his love of the outdoors with his children and grandchildren through countless adventures in Utah’s beautiful wilderness.
Judd’s legacy lives on in the countless students whose lives he touched, the family he loved deeply, and the handcrafted treasures that will forever remind his loved ones of his generous heart, skilled hands, and childlike spirit that made every day an adventure.