Clara Marie Dixon

Clara Marie Dixon passed away on February 5, 2017 at Gordon Hospital, Calhoun, GA. Her death was eased by the care from her children, hospital staff and Tapestry Hospice nurses. She is survived by her four children, Ann Martie and her husband Don of Calhoun, Jane Phillips of Athens, TN, Steve Dixon and his wife Vicki of Arlington, Texas, and Susan Speece and her husband Mark of McMinnville, OR; five grandchildren, David Phillips and his wife Kate, Benjamin Phillips and his wife Kim, Zachary Speece, Alyssa Speece and Lauren Dixon; four great-grandchildren, Kieron Phillips, Nora Phillips, Brody Phillips and Finian Phillips. She is preceded in death by her husband, Perry Richard Dixon to whom she was married 49 years, 9 months; her parents, Alva Rohrer McCalla and Katie Edith Huber McCalla; four sisters, Anna Johns; Lillian Sloan, Martha Gross and June Shick; son-in-law, Jesse Phillips; and grandson, Peter Speece. "Marie" was born on September 12, 1931 on a farm near Lewistown, Ohio. She went to the same school in Lewistown for twelve years. In 1951 she married Perry who was in the US Air Force. During his 21 year military career they raised their four children while he was stationed at many bases throughout the US. Meanwhile she went to college part time and got her bachelor's degree in education from the University of Texas at El Paso and later earned a master's degree in education from Georgia State University. After Perry retired from the Air Force they moved to Georgia. After the oldest three children were grown they moved back to Ohio to take care of elderly family. They returned to Georgia after Marie retired from teaching. When they came to Calhoun in 1995, they became members of Calhoun First Methodist Church. She was the president of the United Methodist Women for many years. In 1996 she founded the Scrappy Quilters Guild and served also as president many times over the next 20 years. Along with her husband Perry, until his death in 2001, she volunteered for SOWERs (Servants on Wheels Ever Ready), Emmaus Walks and Kairos Prison Ministry. They would spend their winters in their travel trailer in warmer climates such as Arizona and Florida while working with SOWERs. For 27 years she taught school in various states including Tularosa Elementary in Tularosa, NM, Hollydale Elementary in Marietta, GA, Floyd Middle School in Mableton, Ga. Her last teaching position was at Indian Lake Middle School in Lewistown, Ohio which was the very same school she had attended. She was a lifelong Methodist, having been a member of several Methodist churches, including Lewistown United Methodist, Lewistown, Ohio, Grace United Methodist, Alamogordo, NM and Hollydale United Methodist, Marietta, GA. Marie and Perry loved to travel and passed on that same love to their children. She was proud to say that she had been to all fifty states, finally reaching Alaska in 2003 on a cruise with her children. Her most memorable trip was with Perry to the Holy Land. Her passion was quilting. Over the years she made hundreds of quilts, giving most of them away to family and friends. Many quilts were given to strangers as charity quilts. Although she was 85 years old, she was still eager to learn something new. Always the teacher, she wanted to pass that knowledge on. She will be missed by her family and friends who benefited from her instruction and good example. Visitation will be held at the Thomas Funeral Home in Calhoun, Ga. on February 17 at 5:00 p.m. The next day a memorial service will be held at 10:00 a.m. at Calhoun First United Methodist Church. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial contributions be made to Habitat for Humanity of Gordon County at 809 Oothcalooga St., Calhoun, GA 30701.