Elisabeth "Betty" Dixon

Asheville - Elisabeth Betty Rose Marie DiSomma Dixon, 87, of Asheville, went to be with her Lord and Savior on January 9, 2012. She was a patient at the Kate B. Reynolds Hospice Care Center of Winston-Salem, N.C. Mrs. Dixon was born on April 28, 1925 in Naples, Italy. She was preceded in death by her parents, Giulio and Bianca DiSomma, nine brothers and sisters, and her dear husband, Dick Dixon, with whom she was married for 57 years. She is survived by sisters Antoinetta of Naples, Italy; Mafalda of Kankakee, Illinois; Bianca of Rome, Italy; and Lucia of Naples, Italy; brothers Giulio of Rome, Italy and Luigi of Naples, Italy; and by her three sons: Buzz Dixon and wife Soon-ok of Santa Clarita, California, Rikk Dixon of the home, and Robert Dixon and wife Kim of Winston-Salem; eight grandchildren: Yang-mi, Heather (and husband Bobby), Kristy, Amber, Lyle, Laura, Luke (and fianc Amanda Burnley) and Lindsey; four great-grandchildren: Skyler, Harvey, Lily, Davin, and Ronan. A Christian since her teen years, Mrs. Dixon was a member of Barnardsville Baptist Church and then Oteen Baptist Church in the early 1960s. After moving back to Asheville in 1976, she joined Merrimon Avenue Baptist Church where she enjoyed participating in Sunday School and the Keenagers Club. Nothing gave her more delight than to sing to her dear friends at church. She met her husband, Dick Dixon, during World War II when he struck her with his Army truck on a fog-shrouded military bridge in Naples, Italy. Their courtship lasted seven years until he returned to Italy to marry her in February 1953. After coming to the United States later that year with an English vocabulary of yes, no and maybe, Mrs. Dixon went on to distinguish herself as a 1970 Phi Theta Kappa graduate of Hiwassee College in Madisonville, TN and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from North Carolina State University in Raleigh, NC in 1974. Along with her native Italian, she was fluent in English, Spanish, French and Latin. She had a love of music, especially opera; and was a gifted singer having participated in church choirs through the years. She enjoyed a year as a school teacher while living in Lancaster, SC and most recently retired from the Vanderbilt Shirt Company in 1989. Always dedicated to her family, Mrs. Dixon was a faithful and devoted wife as well as a loving and nurturing mother. A memorial service will be held at 4:00 pm Friday, January 11 at Merrimon Avenue Baptist Church, with Pastor Daniel Dockery officiating. The family will receive friends following the service. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for International Missions, c/o Merrimon Avenue Baptist Church, 283 Merrimon Avenue, Asheville, NC 28801.