Ymelda C. Dixon

 
YMELDA CHAVEZ DIXON  
Passed away August 8, 2011 while with her daughter in Madrid, Spain at the age of 97. Her wide circle of family and friends will miss her and treasure the memory of her indomitable personality, quick wit, devotion to country, and fierce love of literature. Ymelda was a long-time Washingtonian, coming as a girl to Washington from Albuquerque, New Mexico, where she was born, after her father, Dennis Chavez, was elected to the U.S. Congress from that state. He later was elected to the U.S. Senate where he served until his death in 1962. Ymelda made the transition from a small town to the nation's capital with the zest for new experiences that she would exhibit throughout her life. After the death of her husband Stanley Miller in 1950, she married George Hall Dixon, whose humor column, "Washington Scene," was carried in more than 300 newspapers. They traveled the globe and he often wrote about his spirited wife, "Yclept Ymelda." After Dixon died in 1965, Ymelda embarked on her own successful career, writing a column for the women's section of the Washington Star. She never missed a deadline, covering social and diplomatic events, and only retired when the Star folded in 1981. She is survived by her sister, Gloria Chavez Tristani, her daughters, Imelda de Diego of Madrid and Cissie Coy of Washington, D.C., her son-in-law, Wayne Coy, grandchildren Denise, Ismael, Charles, and Imelda, five great-grandchildren, one niece and two nephews and their families. She was a member of the Women's National Democratic Club, the National Press Club, and the Congressional Club. She spoke often over the years of her happy days as a student at Georgetown Visitation Preparatory School and a Memorial Mass will be offered for her there on Sunday, August 21, at 9 am. A reception will follow. The school is at 1524 Thirty-fifth Street, N.W. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to the American Diabetes Association, PO Box 433126, Palm Coast, FL 32143-9850.