Sarah Dixon
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Sarah Nourse Golder Dixon, Sally to all her friends, died recently at the age of 79. She was born on October 3, 1930 in Washington, D.C. She was preceded in death by her father, her mother and her brother. She is survived by her husband, Richard, of Columbia, MO, by her son James of Hallsville, MO, by her daughter Marjory of Columbia, MO, by a nephew, Bruce Golder of Fort Wayne, IN and by three grandsons and four great grandchildren.
After her father’s death, her family moved from a small house near American University, where her father had been Dean of the College of Arts & Sciences, to an apartment on 30th St. in Georgetown, D.C. In that same year her mother became Registrar for American University, a job she held for three years. Both Sally and her brother John attended public schools in Georgetown.
Her mother became Dean of the Women’s College at the University of Delaware in Newark, DE. John was sent to a private school, Slade School in Maryland. Sally, who was sick for for a year, lived with her grandmother and attended a grade school in Georgetown. From the 5th grade on, until 1946 she and John lived in Newark with their mother and attended schools there. Sally attended 9th grade in Newark High School, 10th grade in Western High School in Georgetown and grades 11 and 12 in Hathaway Brown in Shaker Heights, OH.
She went to college at Mount Holyoke College beginning in 1948; in her Junior Year she was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. She received her Master’s Degree in French from the Middlebury, VT, program in Paris in 1953.
In 1954 she went to work for Scott Foresman in Chicago. During the three and one half years she worked there, she reedited a Junior High School science textbook. She taught French and Spanish for one year in Carthage College, Carthage, IL. in 1957-58. For three years, 1958-1961, she took classes towards the Ph.D. in French at the University of Colorado in Boulder. She passed the Comprehensive Exams for that degree in 1961. During those three years, she was a Teaching Assistant in French, teaching Elementary French Courses. In 1961-1962 she taught French courses at the University of Massachusetts, in Amherst. In June of 1962 she married Richard K. Dixon of Columbia, MO.
For six years, from 1962 to 1968, she was an Assistant Professor of French at Westminster College, in Fulton, MO. From 1968 to 1979 she was a part-time Teaching Assistant at MU, supervising Graduate Teaching Assistants in French along with her husband. In 1968 she and her husband adopted a boy they named James Wesley and in 1970 they adopted a girl they named Marjory Lynne.
At an early age she learned to love English poetry as well as classical music, the latter both from recordings and from concerts, which she attended as often as was possible until her death. She learned to recognize many common Eastern birds and also a number of the birds of the Rocky Mountains. She was very fond of many common flowers and also of many wild flowers. The White Trillium of Ohio was a particular favorite.
Soon after they met, she and Richard became enthusiastic mountain climbers and hikers. That remained an important part of their married life. They learned to recognize many of the wild flowers of the Colorado Mountains from the almost-annual hiking vacations they took there. Both Jimmy and Margie started “hiking,” i.e. being carried on their parents’s backs, before they could walk.
At home she enjoyed cooking for family and friends. Birthday and holiday meals were, in effect, banquets. She also enjoyed working on projects such as the conversion of Stephen’s Lake to a city park, helping at the Missouri Theatre for the Arts, and serving as a Poll Judge at elections. Many happy hours were spent in rehearsing and performing with the University Choral Union. She also delighted in helping her husband carry out plans for his garden. The splendor of the flowers at every season was deeply satisfying to her.
Love you Grandma!! and Always will!!
My thoughts are with you. I will miss seeing Sarah’s warm smile at concerts.
Thanks for being a truly wonderful aunt. You were always very kind to me, your laugh made me laugh. The 14teener we all climbed together is a very fond memory of mine. We will miss you.
Thanks for being a truly wonderful aunt. You were always very kind to me, your laugh made me laugh. The 14teener we all climbed together is a very fond memory of mine. We will miss you.
I will miss you but never forget you. Thanks for sharing your life with me.
I’ll always remember Sarah’s kindness to me when I was a new employee in Gentry Hall & her understanding & support when we adopted our children. I’ll miss seeing her around town.
I remember Sarah as a wonderful, selfless coworker. I was sorry to read of her passing.
I was so sad to hear about Sally departure from this life. What a wonderful woman she was. So full of enthusiasm and the joy of living. So warm and intelligent. Her smile was contagious and comforting. We will never forget her. She really worked hard and with joy in the effort to “Save Stephens Lake” she was one of the people we could always count on to be there and help out. She loved swimming at Stephens Lake and she was so proud and loved her grandson James, who was with her helping us out. May her love, joy and spirit stay with all of us who knew and loved her.
My deepest sympathy to all her family.
Barbara Hoppe & Mike Sleadd to-P.S. We need memorial tree & plague n her honor at Stephens Lake. If others are interested contact us and we will start a fund for that.
Our deepest sympathy. We were sad to hear about Sally departure from this life. We are so fortunate to have known her. What a wonderful, loving, warm, enthusiastic and intelligent woman she was. Her smile was contagious and so warm. Sally was so helpful in the effort to “Save Stephens Lake”. She was ready to help every step of the way. I have a great photo of her sitting on the sailboat in the parade when we were publicizing the effort to get the Parks Tax passed. She loved swimming at Stephens Lake. What a pleasure and joy that she walked among us on this earth. Her joy and spirit will continue to live on in each of our lives, that she touched with her wonderful presence.
Our deepest sympathy to all her family. Especially Richard, Marjory and James jr. her grandson, who we got to know and she loved so much. Thanks for all your help on Stephens Lake James too.
We are so sorry to read of Sally’s death. Our deepest sympathies to her family.
We lived at 900 Sycamore Lane when our children were young. Sally and I had the most wonderful reciprocal baby sitting arrangements. I remember how happy Sally was to be a mother!! And so good at balancing her teaching with motherhood.
We loved Sarah on 2100 and OPMO. Amy and I were especially attached! I loved her sweet demeanor and sassiness when she was feeling good! She was one of my favorite patients I have ever taken care of. I, and the rest of 2100OPMO, will miss her very much. Our prayers are with Margie and the rest of the family.