Andrew Taft Dixon

Even if you had only one conversation with Andy, you would remember it for a long time. He had a way of engaging you with an interesting piece of information or a novel point of view no matter the topic. A widely read and cerebral free spirit, woodworker, small business owner, real estate investor, youth soccer coach, Boy Scout leader, youth group advisor, dog whisperer, father, and husband, Andy will be missed by all who knew him.

Andy was born shortly after midnight in Providence, Rhode Island, on July 21st, 1951. His identical twin brother George Elliott “Jed” Dixon was born on the other side of midnight on July 20th. The twin brothers and their younger sister Candis grew up first in Barrington, RI, and then in New Cannan, CT. Their childhood summers were spent on Poppasquash Point in Bristol, RI, with their many cousins. When Andy’s parents, George and Peggy Dixon, moved to Minneapolis in the late 60’s, Andy attended Pomfret School in Connecticut then went on to MIT where he graduated in 1974 with a degree in Civil Engineering.

After college and a string of odd jobs, Andy and Jed opened a woodshop in Boston’s South End. The business began as a four-member cooperative and eventually became Dixon Brothers Woodworking. Dixon Bros specialized in making doors and all manner of custom woodwork, including built-in cabinets, stairs and staircase parts (balusters, handrails and newel posts), mantle pieces, chair rails, moldings, and even wooden kaleidoscopes. In 2001, as real estate prices soared in the South End, Andy relocated the woodshop to a former shoe factory in Abington, MA, where it was until 2021. In addition to his woodworking business, he also owned and managed commercial and industrial properties in Connecticut and Massachusetts.

Andy and his wife Sally moved from Boston to Lexington, MA, in 1987 and made it their home. Andy always relished being helpful and quickly found himself enmeshed in the organization of any activity his children took up. He coached youth soccer (and became the townwide equipment organizer), he organized trips and became the advancement coordinator for Boy Scout Troop 160 and was a beloved Follen Unitarian Universalist Youth Group advisor. As a member of Follen Church, he did many woodworking projects including building the front doors, the handrails in the entryway vestibule, and the accessible pews in the sanctuary. He also led many youth group spring break service trips to New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.

Andy loved pretty much all outdoor activities: from hiking and camping, to hang-gliding and windsurfing, skiing, fly fishing, canoeing, cycling, scuba diving, and many more. Throughout his life he had many great travel adventures. He sailed trans-Atlantic. He took bicycle trips in New Zealand, Costa Rica, and Italy. He did canoe trips to the Brooks Range in Alaska, the boundary waters of northern Minnesota, and rafted through the Grand Canyon. He dived everywhere from the coasts of New England, the Florida Keys, throughout the Caribbean, and on the Great Barrier Reef. He summited nearly all the 4000 footers in the White Mountains, and hiked the Inca Trail in Peru, the Dolomites, the Pyrenees, and the West Highland Way in Scotland most recently in 2022.

Andy passed away on February 22nd, 2025 following a long struggle with Alzheimer’s disease. Sally, Alex, and Tom are very grateful for the care provided by Artis Senior Living, Mindful Healthcare, and CareOne Hospice and for the support received from extended family and friends.

Andy is survived by his Sally, his two sons, Alex and Tom Dixon, his sister Candis, sisters-in-law Helen Hardy-Dixon, Beth and Lucy Cassells, brothers-in-law Greg Watt and Wilson Mertens, nieces Katie Watt-D’Souza, Jennifer Watt-Slade, and May Dixon and nephews Will and Nate Dixon, Nico Blando, and David Watt. He was preceded in death by his parents and his twin brother Jed. 

Family and friends will gather to honor and remember Andy for his memorial service on Sunday, April 6th at 1:00 PM at Follen Church, 755 Massachusetts Ave., Lexinton, MA. A reception will follow.

Arrangements are under the care of Concord Funeral Home, 74 Belknap Street, Concord, MA 01742 978-369-3388 www.concordfuneral.com