Mark Bixby’s mother, Betsy Bixby Steen, far right facing camera, stands to look back toward the shore in the large gondola in which she and other family members ride as other relatives, including Bixby’s children, and friends paddle out into the Alamitos Bay as part of a Hawaiian-themed memorial service Friday afternoon for her late son.
7:01pm | Several ceremonies and memorials, all of them close to the water, were scheduled throughout the day Friday to remember, honor and celebrate the life of Mark Bixby, an active Long Beach native who seemed to have a profound impact on the lives of everyone he met.
Bixby was one of five men who died march 16 in a plane crash at Long Beach Municipal Airport. He was 44.
A morning bike ride honoring the life of the passionate bicycling advocate drew about 100 cyclists, who braved the soggy, chilly weather at 8 a.m. to gather at the U.S. Sailing Center. From there they pedaled to the Gerald Desmond Bridge, Bixby’s 16 year-old son, Ryan, leading the pack as the group neared their stopping point near its center.
Bixby was the driving force in securing the addition of a bicycle and pedestrian lane to construction plans for the new replacement bridge set to be built in the next few years. There, above the water, several speakers before heading back to the sailing center, where Bixby’s public funeral services were held at 10 a.m.
The poignant public service drew an estimated crowd of more than 500. A number of Bixby’s family members and closest friends stood before the mass of mourners to eulogize the 44-year-old, sharing some of their fondest memories and speaking to the many accomplishments of the father of three.
Following the 10 a.m. service, scores of Bixby’s peers and relatives donned their wetsuits and grabbed their surfboards or hopped into kayaks or paddle boats and hit the water for a Hawaiian-style paddle-out tribute.
Later in the afternoon, the family held a private service out at sea, where Bixby’s ashes were scattered.
Mark Llewellyn Bixby was born in Long Beach on June 26, 1966.
After graduating high school, he attended Duke University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering. Later in life, he would attend the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he earned a master’s degree in real estate development.
He formerly worked for Bixby Land Company, where he was involved in the management of more than $500 million worth of real estate acquisition and disposition and development transactions. At the time of his death, he was employed at Pacific Retail Partners, a company headed up by his good friend, Michael Jensen, the lone survivor of the plane crash that claimed Bixby’s life.
Though family was paramount in Bixby’s life, he was dedicated to his community, as well. he championed a number of causes and served on the boards of several area nonprofits. He was president of the Rotary Club of Long Beach in 2003-04 and was instrumental in fundraising efforts that let to the establishment of Rotary Centennial Park on Pacific Coast Highway near Junipero Avenue. He also chaired the YMCA of Greater Long Beach Camping Services Board for three years and was a founding director of the the Long Beach Bicycle Festival. Children Today, which provides aid to homeless children and was co-founded by Bixby’s wife, was also close to his heart.
Many agree that Bixby, an avid surfer who loved sailing, lived an extraordinary life; his list of accomplishments is lengthy and broad. he had traveled to 43 states and 25 foreign countries in his 44 years, and in 1985 he bicycled across the United States, traveling 3,250 miles in 30 days from Connecticut to Long Beach. He also biked the entire California coast on three separate occasions in 1988, 2009 and 2010. He competed in and wont third place in the El Dorado Masters Series II bicycle races in 2009, and the five-time Long Beach Triathlon participant came in 10th out of more than 1,000 entrants last year. Bixby even worked as an emergency medical technician in 1989 and as a gondolier during the summer for Gondola Getaway from 1984 to 1988.
Bixby leaves behind his wife, Theresa, and three children, Ryan, 16, Kirra, 15, and Jessica, 13; his mother, Betsy Bixby Steen; two brothers, Grant and Brett; and a host of other family members.
One of Mark Bixby’s daughters sits atop her surfboard during the paddle-out service.
Mark Bixby’s brother, Brett Bixby, center, throws flowers as part of the Hawaiian-style memorial service.
Friends and family members of Mark Bixby gather on the beach adjacent to the U.S. Sailing Center following his public funeral services in preparation for the Hawaiian-style paddle-out memorial.
Two unidentified girls take some time out on the beach after Mark Bixby’s public funeral service just prior to the Hawaiian-style paddle-out memorial in his honor near a funeral program jutting out of the sand.
Funeralgoers planning to participate in the paddle-out ceremony honoring Mark Bixby’s life following his funeral service at the U.S. Sailing Center left their surfboards, boogie boards, kayaks and gear on the sand during the service.
A standing-room-only crowd attending the public funeral service for Mark Bixby.
From left, Mark Bixby’s brother, Brett, comforts one of Bixby’s daughters, while Bixby’s wife, Theresa, grasps the hand of their son, Ryan, during the funeral service.
Mark Bixby’s son, Ryan, second from right, is overcome with emotion during his father’s funeral services. Bixby’s wife, Theresa, second from left, comforts him. Bixby’s two daughters sit at far left and far right.
Cyclists braved soggy, chilly weather Friday morning and gathered at the U.S. Sailing Center at 8 a.m. to participate in a bike ride in honor of Mark Bixby prior to his funeral services.
Cyclists braved soggy, chilly weather Friday morning and gathered at the U.S. Sailing Center at 8 a.m. to participate in a bike ride in honor of Mark Bixby prior to his funeral services.
Close to 100 bicyclists who turned out for a memorial bike ride in Mark Bixby’s honor Friday morning stop atop the Gerald Desmond Bridge to listen to several speakers before heading back to the U.S. Sailing Center for Bixby’s public funeral services.
Martin Howard, a Long Beach businessman and friend of Mark Bixby, speaks to the crowd of bicyclists who turned out for a memorial bike ride in Bixby’s honor Friday morning on the Gerald Desmond Bridge.
Bicyclists riding in honor of Mark Bixby, an avid and passionate bicyclist, during a memorial bike ride Friday morning prior to his public funeral services head back to the U.S. Sailing Center after stopping atop the Gerald Desmond Bridge.
Cyclists participating in the memorial bike ride in Mark Bixby’s honor on Friday morning pedal back to the U.S. Sailing Center after biking to the Gerald Desmond Bridge.