Mary Louisa Dixon

Mary Louisa “Mary Lou” Dixon, 80, passed away quietly on May 5, 2022, after several years of declining health.

Mary Lou was born in Waycross, Georgia, on October 1, 1941, to Savilla Irene Thornton Dixon and Alva Monroe Dixon. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her brother, Robert Tracy Dixon. She is survived by her brother, Richard Lacy Dixon, a niece, a nephew, two grand-nieces, and two grand-nephews, as well as a number of cousins.

Mary Lou grew up on a diversified family farm that grew row crops, vegetables, and tobacco as well as cattle, hogs, and chickens. She graduated from Blackshear High School and continued her education at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College and the University of Georgia majoring in home economics. She later earned a Master’s degree from the University of Tennessee.

She began working as a county extension agent in Bacon County after graduating from the University of Georgia. Mary Lou was an excellent seamstress, which led to her career as the clothing and textiles specialist for the University of Georgia Cooperative Extension Service for thirty years. She traveled extensively throughout the state of Georgia presenting programs related to clothing and textiles.

She was a life-long Methodist and was a member of the Athens First United Methodist Church. She was very active in the Classic City Pilot Club and served in a number of leadership roles. One of her hobbies was collecting statues of pigs in every size, shape, and color.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, May 14 at Lord and Stephens, East Chapel, 4355 Lexington Road in Athens, GA at 11:00 AM. The family will receive friends at the funeral home for one hour before the service. Interment of her ashes will be in Blackshear, GA, in the family plot in Enon Cemetery at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Mary Lou's memory to Pilot International Founders Fund (PIFF), 102 Preston Court, Macon, GA 31210, or at pilotinternational.org .

Lord and Stephens Funeral Home, EAST, Athens, GA, is in charge of arrangements. www.lordandstephens.com