Ernestine D. "Bobbie" Pixley

Ernestine D. “Bobbie” Pixley, age 93, of Rochester, died peacefully surrounded by her family on December 14, 2022. She was born October 6, 1929 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin to Joseph N. and Martha L. Dribben. She was raised in LaCrosse, Wisconsin, a hometown she always cherished along with the lifelong friends she made there. She studied at the University of Wisconsin, Madison before moving to Michigan and completing her degree at Wayne State University in Detroit. She taught school at the Carpenter and Blanche Sims elementary schools in Lake Orion before moving to Rochester where she met future husband Don G. Pixley on a blind date set up by mutual friends Bob and Peg Lenniger. She whole heartedly embraced her life in Rochester, working tirelessly to support the family’s business, the Pixley Funeral Home, bringing comfort and hope to generations of people in the Rochester area and surrounding communities. Through her 70 years in Rochester, she was active in multiple community groups including Rochester Junior Women’s Club, Avon Players, The Rochester Cotillion Club, Sweet Adelines, Great Oaks Country Club’s Women’s Golf Association, the “P.O.O.P” golf league, Crittenton Hospital Auxiliary, Crittenton Hospital Foundation Board of Directors, Meadowbrook Women’s Club and the Rochester Hill Museum at Van Hoosen Jones Stoney Creek Farm. She was a founding member and supporter of the Community Foundation of Greater Rochester Women’s Fund. With her husband she was also a dedicated supporter of the Michigan Polio Network and the Southeast Michigan Post-Polio Support Group and the Rotary International Polio Plus program. She was a recipient of a Paul Harris Fellow. One of her life long passions was playing bridge and enjoying the friendships she made in numerous bridge clubs she was a member of. She was competitive in all the sports she participated in – bowling, golf and bridge. She loved Broadway musicals and watching the Detroit Tigers and the Green Bay Packers. But she was most happy as the mother of four children, Martha, Susan, Vern and David. She was a constant support and a loving guide throughout their lives. She loved family time and especially their summers spent in Northern Michigan on Mullett Lake. She was also an exemplary first mate on the Ms. Pix. She will be sorely missed by all her family and friends.

Bobbie was the wife of the late Don Pixley and mother of Martha (Dan) Mishler, Boyne City, MI; Susan (Tony) Lauri, Grosse Pointe, MI; Vern (Lori) of Rochester; and David (Neil Silverzweig) of New Hope, PA. Grandmother of Philip (Michele) Lauri, Emily Lauri, Jillian (Kyle) Crepeau, Andrew Pixley and Alexander Lauri. Great Grandmother of Mila, Francesca, Vivienne and Bennett.

The family will receive friends Thursday, December 15th, 4-8 p.m. and Friday, December 16th, 2-8 p.m. at the funeral home.

The Funeral Service will be held Saturday, December 17, 2022, 11 a.m. at St Paul's United Methodist Church, 620 Romeo Rd, Rochester, Michigan 48307.

Interment to follow at Mt. Avon Cemetery, Rochester, Michigan.

Contributions in Bobbie’s memory may be made to Hospice of Michigan; Community Foundation of Greater Rochester; and St. Paul's United Methodist Church.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.pixleyfh.com for the Pixley family.