Edwin "Gene" Saxton

Born in Sylvia, Kansas, on November 4, 1931, Edwin Gene Saxton, age 86, died at Watermere at Southlake (Texas) on November 18, 2017. He was best known as “Gene”. He was the only child of Jack and Elmo Saxton, of Sylvia, Kansas.
Mr. Saxton attended Sylvia High School in Kansas and met the love of his life, Farrell Yvonne Shepherd. They enjoyed 65 years of marriage during which they loved and cared for each other and the three children they were blessed with: Chris, Kelly and Kyle.
Mr. Saxton is survived by his wife, Farrell Saxton, of Southlake, TX;
his sons, Chris Saxton (Elaine), of Clinton, MS; Kelly Saxton (Vicky), of Dallas, TX; and Kyle Saxton (Gina), of Bay Village, OH; his grandchildren, Cheiron Saxton and Kreissa Saxton Reed (Ben), of Philadelphia, MS; Kirschen Saxton Craft (Steven) and Kelcie Saxton Carey, of Brandon, MS; Adam Saxton (Sarah) and Matt Saxton (Kristen), of Dallas, TX; Ashley Saxton Minnick (Tyler) and Aaron Saxton of Bay Village, OH; Ryan Saxton and Rachel Saxton, of Clinton, MS.
his great grandchildren, Madison Canfield, Christian Canfield, Alex Carey, Reygan Carey, all of Brandon, MS; Kaelyn Saxton, Remington Reed, and Benjamin Reed, all of Philadelphia, MS; Autumn Minnick and Hunter Minnick, of Bay Village, OH; Patrick Saxton, Harrison Saxton, Smith Saxton and Shepard Saxton, all of Dallas, TX,
As a young man, Gene worked in his father’s grocery store and movie theatre in Sylvia, KS. He started flying and owned his own airplane at age 16. His favorite plane was a Piper Cub and he would fly Santa Claus to Sylvia, landing on Main Street, during the Christmas parade. Early in their marriage, Gene worked for Boeing building B47s for the military during the Korean War. He and Farrell started The Farlane Café in Sylvia, KS and it was best known for its home-cooked meals.
For most of his career, Mr. Saxton was President of Doskocil Sausage Company, Owner of Saxton Inc., and Owner of Winchester Packing Company, all located in South Hutchinson, Kansas. He was a member of Arygle Methodist Church, he was active in the communities where he lived serving as Mayor of both Sylvia and South Hutchinson, KS. Mr. Saxton retired in 1984, when he and his wife moved to Scottsdale, Arizona where they resided for 25 years. He was an avid golfer and he enjoyed playing golf with friends and family. In 2007, Mr. Saxton and his wife moved to the Dallas, TX area to be closer to family. His family and friends will always remember him as a loving husband, father, grandfather, mentor, friend and a great story teller.
A small private family celebration of life was held November 21, 2017. In lieu of flowers please make a donation to the American Heart Association in memory of Gene Saxton at http://honor.americanheart.org/goto/Gene_Saxton .