Dixie L. Burch

Dixie L. Burch



On April 19th, 2023 the world lost a true force of life â€" a woman whose legacy will be felt by hundreds of people from all walks of life, whom she brought together over many decades to share a meal, plan an event, or simply to laugh with.

Born into an Oklahoma family of great cooks and hostesses, Dixie Burch turned what she learned as a child into a lifelong philosophy that the most fun times and best ideas are conceived around a table filled with delicious food, many different voices and great company.

As a young wife and mother, Dixie was always in charge of family celebrations, bridge clubs and neighborhood gatherings. She was proud to be a housewife, and was named Mrs. New Mexico in 1963 â€" winning for her personality and shrimp curry recipe.

Hosting fabulous private parties for her friends eventually led to Dixie's volunteer life, where she met many lifelong friends. If you served on a committee or board with her in the Junior League, New Mexico Symphony Guild, or Albuquerque Opera Guild, you knew meetings would include a bounty of home-cooked food, no matter what time of day. For

Dixie, social gatherings were more than meetings. They represented a diversity of friendships, built through a lifetime of food, party planning, weddings, family celebrations and milestones, community and nonprofit events.

Dixie was part of a generation in which "stay at home moms" were often the volunteer pillars who helped build their communities and cities. In the 1960s and 1970s, as soon as her kids left for school, Dixie would host all-day committee meetings at her home. The smells of homemade food and coffee (from a new automatic coffeemaker!) would fill the house. Groups of women would gather together, plan events and make progress in raising funds for countless causes. By midday, delicious breakfast buffets were turned into luncheon spreads â€" and by the evening, appetizers were served, and drinks were poured to celebrate the ladies' success of that day's planning. The legacy of Dixie's â€" and her friends' â€" volunteerism is still evident in our community today through their contributions in the arts, education, health and the professional careers many went on to.

Dixie worked her way to the top of all of the organizations she served with, before moving on to a professional career in catering. It was the connections she made volunteering that would give her a start as a professional when she divorced. Armed with a volunteer resume second to none, Dixie quickly found work at the Four Seasons Hotel. Starting as Catering Salesperson, Dixie immediately contacted her volunteer friends, and persuaded them to move their meetings to the Four Seasons. Within months, she was promoted to Sales Manager, then Director. Her career took off!

Soon, Dixie was recruited to the luxurious downtown Regent Hotel, later Doubletree, where she was asked in 1973 by Mayor Harry Kinney to serve as the General Chairman of the grand opening of Albuquerque's first Convention Center.

Finally, she had a stage large enough to host the grandest events. Wanting to make the Convention Center feel as it belonged to everybody and was accessible to all, Dixie created a four-day grand opening extravaganza. She invited entertainers, creatives and every ABQ high school to participate from across the City. Everyone had a special role and everyone was welcome.

Dixie's reputation led her to being the first recruit to join the Hyatt Regency

Albuquerque, where she learned great things from their national team â€" further refining her connections and creativity. Finally, in 1992, Dixie was recruited to manage the Albuquerque Petroleum Club, which she turned into Albuquerque's finest dinner destination and private dining experience on the 15th floor of a downtown office building.

Those were the years when Dixie truly thrived. During her time at the Petroleum Club, Dixie served presidents and foreign dignitaries. And, in 1995, just years after the end of the Cold War, she temporarily relocated to Moscow, to serve as a consultant at the new Moscow International Petroleum Club.

One of Dixie's fondest memories was being asked to help coordinate the opening of the United World College in Las Vegas, founded in 1982 by Dr. Armand Hammer. Asked to prepare a meal fit for a king because the then Prince Charles would be in attendance, her Petroleum Club Dream Team created "Montezuma Chicken," about which Dixie would laughingly say: We sold the heck out of that for years 'cause everyone wanted to eat what the Prince had eaten!

Through thousands of celebrations and events over the years, Dixie built a most eclectic group of friends whom she proudly maintained until she died.

Dixie was preceded in death by her son, Brad Burch. She is survived by her daughter Kelli Cooper and her husband Kevin, and four grandchildren (Casey, Corey and Dixie Cooper, Tyler Burch and great-granddaughter Jayna Bratton), with whom she trained as her sous chefs while preparing meals for family celebrations. She is also survived by her sister Kay Matthews and brother Edward Matthews.

Dixie's wish was that her dear friends not sit at a table without her, but instead lift a glass (or a fork) and toast to the friendships, the celebrations and the community efforts that brought everyone together in the first place. A thanksgiving celebration will be held this summer to spread Dixie's ashes over her favorite New Mexico spot â€" of course, accompanied by an Oklahoma southern picnic and a bottle (or two) of fine wine.