Pixler, King Oliver, 1909-1994.

Oliver King Pixler was born in Pierson, Iowa. He graduated from high school in 1927 and joined the U.S. Navy in 1929, at which time he changed his name to King Oliver Pixler. He completed his basic training in San Diego, trained as a machinist's mate in Hampton Roads, Va. and as a submarine technician in New London, Conn. After leaving the Navy in 1932 he traveled to Washington State where he enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps at Bremerton, Wash. He was sent to West Loch, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii where he trained in diesel mechanics. In 1937 Pixler left the Marines for a civilian position as a diesel oiler on the dredge Dan C. Kingman. In 1941 he left this position to join his brothers in Spencer, Iowa where they were establishing an electrical service business, the Pixler Electric Company. When the U.S. entered World War II King Oliver was drafted into the U.S. Army and assigned to the 70th Tank Battalion, serving as a tank sergeant in North Africa, Sicily, England, France, Luxembourg and Germany. He received the Silver Star award during the Sicilian campaign and the Purple Heart during the Battle of the Bulge. After being discharged from the Army in 1945 he returned to Washington State and worked in the timber industry until his retirement in 1973. In 1988 he returned to Spencer, Iowa.