William "Bill" Dixon

William "Bill" Dixon, 81, peacefully passed away Tuesday, Oct. 3, at NewAldaya Lifescapes in Cedar Falls. He was born Oct. 9, 1941, in Inglewood, Calif., the son of Dale and Mary (Elaine) Dixon. Bill grew up in Waterloo, the oldest of three siblings. He was a member of the final graduating class of St. Mary's High School in 1959, and attended Iowa State Teachers College (UNI) Bill moved to Cedar Rapids in the mid-1960s, and was employed by Flowerama and Gateway Transportation prior to his career job as cost accountant at Iowa Manufacturing. Following his retirement, he worked for Souvenir Inc. Bill loved all types of music and movies, and had innumerable friends with whom he enjoyed dinners and parties. He kept a strategic calendar of his friends, never failing to send birthday and holiday cards to everyone. Among his many qualities were his sense of humor and his generosity. Bill was a life-long motor racing fan, regularly attending stock car races at Tunis Speedway, Independence Speedway and Hawkeye Downs in his younger years. He attended the Daytona 500 nine years in a row during the 1970s. While the last four years of his life was spent confined to a bed or wheelchair, he never failed to miss a Saturday or Sunday NASCAR event on television. Bill is survived by his brothers, Bob (Becky) Dixon of Waterloo and Richard Dixon of Tucson, Ariz.; his nieces, Kim (Chris) Hartman, Raina O'Brien, and Breanna Dixon; great-nephews, Ethan, Eli and Jackson; special friends, Tim, Heidi and Jess Hemmis; and his faithful dog, Max. Bill was preceded in death by his parents, and special friend, Jerry DeWoody. Special thanks to Tami, Asha, Jess, Clare, Tracey and Jack at NewAldaya for all their extra help. A big thank-you to the rest of the nurses and aides in the River Ridge area who took such good care of Bill. Services: Monday, Oct. 9, 11 a.m. at the NewAldaya Chapel in Cedar Falls. Public visitation will be from 9 to 11a.m. prior to the service. Burial will take place at Mt. Olivet Cemetery in Waterloo. Hagarty-Waychoff-Grarup Funeral Service on West Ridgeway is in charge of arrangements. Memorials may be directed to NewAldaya Lifescapes. Online condolences may be left at www.hagartywaychoffgrarup.com.