Michael Farnsworth Bixler

9/1/24

Michael Farnsworth Bixler (November 24, 1946 – September 1, 2024) Michael Bixler spent his life dedicated to the art of typography and fine printing. Michael was a graduate of the Rochester Institute of Technology’s School of Printing (class of 1969.) It was at RIT where Michael met his wife and life-long business partner Winifred (nee Gray.) Although he was reticent to admit that he designed and cast his own typeface design, he did so as a student at RIT, and with admirable results. Michael served as an officer in the US Navy and the couple lived in Hawaii in the early 1970s. They have run the Press and Letterfoundry of Michael and Winifred Bixler since 1973 where their shop was first set up in Boston, MA. In 1983, they relocated to Skaneateles, NY where the shop currently resides. Over the past 50 years, the Bixler Press and Letterfoundry has provided fine printing and metal type-casting for some of the most renowned publishers in the fine-press world including David Godine, The Limited Editions Club, Edward Tufte, Bird & Bull Press, and many other presses of note. Michael was also an instructor at Wells College at their esteemed Book Arts Center. He has mentored countless students through classes and workshops as well as apprenticeships at the foundry. Fellow type-casters would often consult Michael for his encyclopedic knowledge of the complex workings of the Monotype Composition casting machine. Michael was a kind man who would patiently take the time to explain very specific details on the running and repairing of printing and casting equipment to anyone who showed the interest in learning. His calm and clear language made the most complicated processes seem logical and easily understood. Michael’s compassion and patience extended to the animal kingdom—his companion goose “Bob” was a legendary figure in the shop and the dogs that Winnie and Michael have bred and boarded over the years number in the hundreds. Michael is survived by his wife Winnie and their Cairn Terriers. The legacy of his contributions to the world of fine printing and type-casting is felt internationally. 

Funeral service will be held on Friday, September 6th at 11am at Robert D. Gray Funeral Home, Skaneateles with burial to follow in Atwater Cemetery, Homer. There will be a celebration at the Press & Letterfoundry of Michael and Winifred Bixler in Skaneateles at a later date.