Donald Barry Dixon, 68, of Stafford County passed away Saturday, Aug. 4, 2012, at Mary Washington Hospital.
Mr. Dixon started his career teaching at Featherstone Elementary in Prince William County before moving to Stafford to teach at Grafton Village Elementary. He later became the assistant principal at Falmouth Elementary and Gayle Junior High before becoming the principal of Stafford Elementary. In 1975 he became the first principal of Drew Middle School and was there for 25 years before he retired in 1999.
Mr. Dixon was the first Stafford County principal to receive the Washington Post Distinguished Educational Leadership Award. In 2006 the Donald B. Dixon-Lyle Ray Smith Middle School was named in his honor.
Mr. Dixon was a member of Choice Baptist Church. He was also a former deacon at Ferry Farm Baptist Church and Friendship Baptist Church. Mr. Dixon was a member of The Knights of Pythias LodgeNo. 22, BPOE No. 875 and the Eagles.
Survivors include his wife of more than 47 years, Barbara Williams Dixon; children Donna Dixon Rogers and Chad Jeffrey Dixon; grandsons Ayden Chad Dixon and Benjamin Donald Nathan Rogers; mother Hazel Beach Dixon; mother-in-law Ione Crosslin Williams; and sister-in-law Betty Chesney. He was preceded in death by his father, Otis J. Dixon.
A service will be held at10 a.m. Wednesday, Aug. 8 at Covenant Funeral Service, Fredericksburg Chapel. Interment will follow in Stafford Memorial Park. Pallbearers will be Coleman Starnes, William Mitchell, William Evans, William Micks, Sidney Carneal, Daniel Wandrick, Mark Boutchyard and Patrick Chesney.
There will be a Pythian Memorial Service at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Aug 7, at the funeral home, followed by the family receiving friends until 8 p.m.
Memorials may be made in his name to the Donald B. Dixon Memorial Fund for Students, Dixon-Smith Middle School, 503 Deacon Road, Fredericksburg, Va. 22405.
Mr. Dixon will be greatly missed, he was one of the best principal’s that we could have had. I am sorry for your loss. My prayers are with you and your family.
Dear Donna and Barbara,
I was very saddened to read about your dad/husband. He was one great guy and will be missed by so many of us.
To Chad and the Dixon family, my thoughts and prayers to your family at this difficult time. I will always have fond memories of Mr. Dixon during my years at Drew.
Terribly saddened to read about Mr. Dixon’s passing. I have so many wonderful memories of him and the Dixon family. What a great man, he will be missed by many!
Barbara, I shared with the church family about Don’s passing. Many were so sad to hear, but everyone told me that they would be praying for you and your family. The sadness is not for Don since we know that his illnesses have ended and he is enjoying the beauty of Heaven. The sadness is for each of his loved ones that will miss him so much. May God’s presence be felt in your midst over the next several days! You have a wonderful family and incredible support.
I’m so very sorry to hear of Mr. Dixon’s passing. I remember him at Falmouth Elementary when I went to school there and also at Drew Middle when I went there and also my children. My mother was a teachers aid at Drew so we knew him so very well. He will be missed by so many. May God be with you all during this very difficult time.
I worked for Mr.Dixon along with Dottie Hughes and Jack Creech at Drew Middle School for alot of years.We all loved him so much and things were never the same after he retired.
To Chad, Donna and the Entire Dixon Family,
My prayers go out to you and your family in the loss of your loved one.
Mr. Dixon will never be forgotten and the many fond memories of him from Stafford Elem to Drew, boy oh boy!!!! where there great times with him as our top leader. My prayers will always be with the family today and tomorrow as you grieve. Thank God for the Middle School that will always remind us of such a fond leader and great man such as Mr. D.
Mrs Dixon, Donna & Chad
I was so sorry to learn of your loss. May you find comfort in all your memories. My thoughts and prayers for you all during this difficult time.
Barbara, Chad and Donna – I am so sorry to hear of Don’s passing. My thoughts are with you all. I know how you feel and if there anything I can do PLEASE let me know. Laura Langford Brooks
Dixon Family,
We are saddened to hear of your loss. I have great memories of Mr. Dixon (the principal), and Don (the family man). He was a great all-around guy, and will be missed by many. You are in our thoughts.
Barbara and Family,
I was at SHS [now Drew, of course] with Don and we developed an irreverent relationship toward each other back then [mostly teasing] that God guided us toward a limited relationship in education with each other. Of course, we cooperated in many respects in education but never as supervisor to teacher. I enjoyed his “challenges” and he thrived on giving them to me. He was a local boy who made good at a time when native Staffordians found it difficult to rise within the system. His legacy will remain in the hearts of his students and their parents in the form of a concrete memorial in Dixon-Smith Middle School. My late husband and Don were in the same Boy Scout Troop, in sports and at SHS together. They knew each other well, remaining friends through the years. My condolences to you in this period of grief.
I have fond memories of Mr Dixon, his warm smile and his kind words and wisdom from my days at Drew Middle School in the early 80s. He was a wonderful man. My deepest sympathies to the Dixon family. May your loving memories carry you through this most difficult time.
What a tribute to Don….what a nice obituary.
We feel honored to have known Don.
Don Dixon was “one of a kind”……… a LEGEND.
I am saddened to learn of Mr. Dixon’s passing. As kids, we never see our peers and teachers in the light we do as adults. I look back now and remember fondly Mr. Dixons forgiving demeanor and smile. I had the pleasure of being under his tutiledge in both Falmouth and Drew. A fine person and an excellent administrator. My sincerest condolences to the family, friends, and my classmates who served with me under Mr. Dixon. A top notch principle! RIP Principle Dixon.
Barbara and Donna,
I was terribly shocked to learn of Don’s passing. I had such a great relationship with him at Carter Bank and Trust while I was there. I had taken your information with me and kept meaning to contact you guys as I missed helping you.He was such a great man and would always make me smile when he came in, even though I couldn’t raise his interest rates! Please find the strength through God and Friends to help you get through this difficult time. If there is anything we can do please don’t hesitate to ask. He also was my grandmother’s boss when she worked in the Cafeteria at Drew…said was the best boss she could ask for.
It was such a surprise to learn of Don’s passing. Please accept our deepest sympathy. He was a unique individual–his leadership skills were extraordinary. He managed to blend compassion for students with a balance of discipline which resulted in respect. Our daughters, Kim and Hope, remember him fondly. As parents we were confident in Don’s vision for Drew Middle School and totally trusted him. He was a wonderful person and we know you were proud of him–the number of lives he positively touched was a tribute to the type of life we should all live. We will remember you in our prayers.
Barbara, Chad and Donna–We are thinking of you all at this sad time, but hoping you remember all the joy that Mr. Dixon, brought to so many people. I remember him as the kindest and gentle soul who was one of the best and rare principals. He always had a smile and you could tell that he loved life and kids. He will truly be missed. Will be there Wednesday.
So sorry to hear about your loss. I have many nice memories of Mr. Dixon at Drew Middle School. My thoughts are prayers go out to the entire Dixon family.
I was so saddened to hear of Mr. Dixon’s passing. I remember him so well from when I went to Drew and when my son went to Drew. He will be missed by so many of us who had the pleasure of knowing him.
God Bless the family. May you keep the memories you have of him in your heart and he will be with you always.
You are in my thoughts and in my prayers.
To Chad and the Entire Dixon Family,
Our prayers go out to you and your family during this difficult time. Mr. Dixon was a tremendous principal (Drew Middle School). He was admired and respected by so many because of his caring attitude and kind spirit. I think it would be fair to say that during Mr. Dixon’s educational career he was able to touch many,many lives in one form or another. The Stafford educational community has lost a great man and a true pioneer. We will remember you in our prayers.
To the Dixon Family,
Our thoughts and prayers are will you all during this difficult time. We will pray for you to find peace and comfort in knowing that you will one day be reunited with Mr. Dixon. For now, hold on to the memories.
He is in God’s hands now and is at peace. He will always be in your/our hearts. Stay strong as we will be together again one day. You and the entire Dixon family will be in my thoughts and prayers…<3
Don Dixon was an outstanding principal and I was fortunate to work with him at Drew, and to know him personally in our retirement these past years as well. He and Barbara were always so generous with their hospitality to all the retirees from Drew. This news of his passing saddens us all and leaves a void now within our group. He will be greatly missed, and my prayers go out to Barbara, Chad and Donna, who are in my thoughts daily.
Rest in peace now, Don….
Barbara,
Since you and Don first started visiting Choice and sitting with us in the previous sanctuary, we have greatly enjoyed getting to know you and seeing your smiles each week. Don will be missed, but we are thankful to know he is rejoicing with the angels. Please let me know if I can help you in anyway — you are in my prayers.
In His love,
Jessica
To the entire Dixon family and friends I wish you the best. I was sad to hear of Mr. Dixon’s passing. He was a great man and a great neighbor. Not only did I have the privilege of having him as a principle but also as a neighbor. You have left a great legacy. Thank you for all you did.
To Barbara, Chad and Donna….
All my love and sincere condolences
Barbara,
You are in our thoughts and prayers. Don was such an awesome man. We’ll miss his quick wit and thoughful manner. We are out of town this week, but will be thinking of you.
Larry & Debbie
I was shocked and saddened to hear that Mr. Dixon had passed away. He was a great man that did so many things for others. My thoughts and prayers go out to the Dixon family.
I never personally knew Mr. Dixon. My mother was a bus driver for 25 plus years and she always talked highly of him over the years. I also have a family member that works there and a dear friend that was a teacher and dear friend to him. I would always speak to him and can’t remember ever seeing him without a smile on his face. He will be missed by many people and leave behind many wonderful memories.
Mr Dixon was a great mentor to many of us. He pushed a student to do their best and he taught me how to take responsiblity for my actions. Even after you left his school he would want to know how you were doing. He will be missed
I have nothing but great memories of this man as my principal while I attended Edward E. Drew Jr. Middle school. He will be missed by so many. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family at this time of sorrow, but never fear, always remember, our Lord God has him now, and there is no where better to be. We will see him again, Jesus said so.
To the family, my condolences.
Barbara, Chad and Donna,
What a beautiful service today. I know someone was smiling down on you saying “that’s just what I wanted.” After sending my four children through Drew MS, I had the priviledge to work with Don for 10 years. During that time he was not only my boss but a very good friend. He treated everyone with respect and as an equal. He saw me through one of the darkest times in my life with care and compassion. That was his way of treating everyone. Someone said today that “you didn’t work for Don, but with him.” I will always think of him when I hear the song “We Are Family” because that is exactly what we were. And, that was because of “our leader.” Today was a wonderful tribute to Don. Thank you for sharing him with all of us.
Barbara, Chad, and Donna, I was very saddened to hear that Mr. Dixon passed away. He was always one of my favorite prinicipal’s that I had in my school career. He was a great leader and someone that I always looked up to as a student, friend, and eventually, a fellow administrator. He was very passionate about being an educational leader and his love for his students showed all of the time in his smile. Years after he was my principal at Drew Middle School, I had the opportunity to play on the same softball team with Don Dixon or “Double D” as we fondly called him. He touched many students over the years and he will be truly missed.
Dear Dixon Family~ I Know– your loss –is emence to you, It will be felt the rest of your lives; — but you can take heart in Knowing –Mr. Dixon was a Very Beloved Educator– influencing many in his realm–worthy of having a school named after him.–
I did not know him personally, but as a substitute Teacher & mother-of-three, who were educated in Stafford County ( one of my three being a former Stafford County teacher), I am well aware of his stellar reputation.–
I would advise all who knew him, who were mentored by him, to feel Proud–and take the lessons,– the character he taught you, and teach it to the next generation, then mention him–by name once in a while to them.–R.I.P. dear Friend. <3 <3
Marie & I send our love and prayers.
I have such fond memories of Mr. Dixon at Drew Middle and when he was a customer at Earls True Value. He was a good man. I will always smile thinking about him. My prayers are with the family…and ofcourse RIP Mr. Dixon you were a class act and great role model!
Barbara and Family,
Our thoughts and prayers are with you all. We remember Don from SHS and later when we all went to the same church. He was our daughter’s principal at Drew. We pray that God’s peace will carry you through these weeks and months ahead.
Love and blessings,
Franklin and Olive Carrington
Barbara,
Our thoughts and prayers are with you at this time. I know this will be a difficult time for you and the family, but stay close to God and He will be there to comfort you. God bless you and your family.
Wes and Vicki Wilcox
Dear Dixon Family,
Sending warm thoughts and sincere sympathy your way in this time of grief. So sorry to hear about the loss of this great family and community man. I’m proud to be a part of his education legacy at Dixon-Smith Middle.