David E. Dixon, 68, of Broken Arrow, passed away on January 12, 2015. David was was born in Tulsa on September 22, 1946, to Bill and Connie Dixon.
He grew up in Hominy, OK, with his older brother, Richard Dixon M.D. and it was there that his deep love of the outdoors was molded. David played football as a lineman on both sides of the ball and graduated high school in 1963.
David began his college career in 1964 at Oklahoma State University. He followed in the footsteps of his brother, Richard, and joined the Gamma Delta chapter of Sigma Chi International Fraternity that year, where he earned the nickname "Dog," and went on to be elected as the chapter's treasurer. Despite his subpar academic performance, David had enough common sense to volunteer for service in the US Army in 1968, and was stationed in Okinawa, Japan from 1969 to 1971 during the Vietnam War. He returned to OSU with a newfound sense of responsibility and earned a 4.0 GPA, and he graduated with a degree in marketing in 1972.
His career as a banker began in 1973 as a national bank examiner in Dallas, TX. He married Anne Dixon, of Hominy, OK, in 1974 and the couple moved to Amarillo, TX, in 1974. David accepted a job with Guaranty National Bank and the couple moved to Tulsa in 1976 and welcomed their first son, Stephen, in 1977. Their second son, Doug Dixon, was born in 1982. David's keen attention to detail and ability to organize would pay off, and he eventually became Vice President of Commercial Lending at Guaranty National Bank and retired in 1996.
David had many passions over the years. A lifelong outdoorsman, he frequently went on hunting and fishing trips with friends and family ranging in places from Key West, FL to Lake Fork, TX, to Mexico to Hartshorne, OK. He took his sons on numerous family trips to Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico, St. Louis, Kansas City, Arlington, the Great Salt Plains, and the Cayman Islands, where he introduced them to SCUBA diving.
And, Vegas. There were many, many trips to Las Vegas with his sons and friends where his numbers-oriented eyes served him well at the blackjack table. He managed to introduce his daughter-in-law, Kristin, a "city girl" by nature, to the sport of fishing at ponds and lakes throughout Osage County and Inola, OK. And, no mention of David Dixon would ever be complete without mentioning his baked beans recipe, which is the stuff of legend.
David had a deep love for all things Oklahoma State athletics, which made Christmas and birthday shopping very easy for his family. He held football season tickets throughout most of the 80s, most notably during the Barry Sanders Heisman season, and later followed the Pokes to whatever bowl game they were playing in that year. There were also countless trips to Stillwater for baseball & basketball games and wrestling tournaments as well as annual trips to Kansas City & Dallas for the Big 12 Basketball Tournament with friends and his two sons.
David's enthusiasm for the Sigma Chi International Fraternity would burn deep well after his college years. A Life Loyal Sig, he tirelessly assisted the OSU chapter with rush activities and fundraising events. His services ranged from cooking ribs in the hot August summer for rushees to organizing the annual Sigma Chi Alumni Golf Tournament to much success.
Two of his proudest moments were when his sons were each initiated into the fraternity, albeit at what he described as a "lower quality center of education located in Norman, OK." He spent much time with his sons down in Norman in their college years and often helped out with initiation ceremonies. His affable nature made him quite popular with the undergraduates there, who would go so far as to name a pledge event after him: "David Dixon Night."
David was predeceased by his parents, Bill & Connie Dixon, and his brother, Richard Dixon M.D., who passed away in June 2014 in Tulsa. He is survived by: his two sons, Stephen B. Dixon D.O., & his wife Kristin Dixon, of Tulsa, and Doug Dixon, & his fiance, Meredith Petro, of Los Angeles; their mother, Anne Dixon, of Tulsa; and his sister-in-law Kay Dixon, of Tulsa, and her two children, Michael Dixon, of Los Angeles, and Amanda Dixon, of Denver.
All Honor to His Name.