John T. Dixon

January 23, 1942 - July 7, 2015

John Troy Cincinatti Dixon lived 73 years: His personal request was for no one to grieve his passing but to celebrate his life. SoHe was born the only son and the fourth child of Mr. Fred and Mrs. Belle Dixon of Wayne County Tennessee on January 23, 1942. He survived the Polio Epidemic of 1951 and witnessed his mother's terminal battle with brain cancer only a few years later. He graduated from Lawrence County High School and went on to Austin Peay University for a short time. He followed his thumb to California and back, went to the fair in September of '63 and met and fell for Miss Dottie Jo Emery. They married in November of the same year. He found his career in land surveying after going to work for Mr. H.L. Tabor in Giles County. He received his license in 1972, and practiced Land Surveying, delivered newspapers, owned a bait shop, coached baseball, fished the Tennessee River, fed seagulls, and rooted for the home team during football season. He lived with a philosophy that no one should be able to tell you the meets and bounds of your limits, or be able to foretell the expanse of your future. He and Dot raised three children: Sherry M. Williams, Teresa D. Vanderford, and Christopher A. Dixon. His life was not measured by the amount of money in his pocket, but the riches of the memories of family and friends that he carried with him when he left us on July 7, 2015. He fought through adversity from the very beginning of his life, but it never showed through the eternally gracious smile he had made sure we all had grown accustomed to. He was a treasure wrapped in casual clothes with an orange flag hanging from his pocket. The patience and understanding he possessed helped countless others, young and oldyou know who you are. He will be remembered by his sisters and their families, the late Jean Melton of Nashville, TN, Nadine McCrory Higgs of Lyles, TN and Emma Nola Stricklin of Waynesboro, TN. His seven grandchildren will tell and hear tales of the legacy of kindness he left behind and pass them down to the six and continuing great-grandchildren. A small memorial service will be held at Shawnetee Cemetery in Collinwood, TN on Saturday, July 18, 2015 at 4:00 PM for those who want to attend. For those of you who remember him, please find true North and raise a glass in his memorythat is what he would do.