John R. DIXON Jr.

News Death Notice

DIXON, Jr., John R. passed away August 31, 2013 after a short battle with cancer. He didn't lose this battle, he won because he never let the cancer or the diagnosis break his spirit. John was born November 11, 1952 and grew up in Bellbrook, graduating from Bellbrook High School in 1971. He later attended Wright State University. He married his wife, Vickie, in 1975. John lived his life with a fearless passion, embracing both the joys and challenges that every day brought to him. He lived his life by his own rules and those rules involved loving your family endlessly (and friends were always considered family), giving 110% to your work no matter what the task was, working tirelessly to help those less fortunate and finding joy and humor in every single day of your life. John always looked for ways to give back to those less fortunate and spent countless days and hours looking for ways to help make the world a better place, especially for the children and animals of this world. He was a sports fan and was devoted to his Cincinnati Redlegs and his Buckeyes, savoring the World Series and NCAA Championship titles. Many will remember John for his extensive automobile collection, known as the Taj Ma Garaj. John opened his collection to thousands of visitors over the years and was proud to share his passion with fellow enthusiasts. For all his passions in life, none was more dear to John's heart than his family. He cherished his role as a father and grandfather through the many years. He prided himself on taking an active part in the lives of his daughters and grandchildren, from being the Troop Dad of their Brownie Troops in the 1980s (at the time he was the only male troop leader in Indianapolis) to dancing a special dance with his daughters every year on their birthday to attending all of his grandchildren's school and sporting events, and reminding them all "Don't Stop Believing" and that "SLY- Somebody Loves You." John leaves behind his sweetheart of a wife, Vickie, his two daughters Hilary West (husband Phil) and Ashley Rohrbacher (husband John) as well as his special Dutch daughter Linda Nugter (husband Robert De Vries), three grandsons Gunnar, Koen and Jaap, two granddaughters Charlotte and Rory and a new grandchild coming in 2014. His sister Rebecca, brother Kenny and many cousins, nieces and nephews and hundreds of friends that John thought of as family will all celebrate John's life and honor his memory through their stories, laughter and tears. John was grateful for the care that Hospice of Dayton provided, particularly the comfort he received from Steve, "other" Steve, Brad, Rob, Nole, Melissa and the rest of the Crisis Care Team. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the John Dixon legacy fund at any Wright-Patt Credit Union. All of the money will go to further John's desire to brighten the lives of sick children in Dayton. John believed in education and the power of knowledge and chose to donate his body to Wright State University. The family will hold a Memorial Service at a later date.