agnes dix obituary archive

agnes-dix-obituary.md

Agnes S. Dix, of Fort Collins, Colorado, died peacefully at home, surrounded by family, on February 27, 2009 after a long battle with liver disease. Agnes was born May 3, 1928, in Washington, DC. She grew up in Washington, and graduated from Holy Cross Academy there. In 1950, Agnes earned a BA in Art at The Catholic University of America in Washington, where she met her future husband, Ralph Leo Dix, when a friend asked Agnes to tutor a science major struggling with French. They were married in 1951 and moved to Madison, Wisconsin where Ralph pursued graduate work in botany and Agnes did design and display work for area department stores. Agnes’s career reflected her interest in art and education, but she was, first and foremost, an artist. She was a lifelong ceramicist, print maker and painter. Her friends and family long cherished her annual handmade Christmas cards, complete with a personal note. When Ralph’s academic career took the Dixes to Marquette University, Agnes taught high school art in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. In 1960, the Dixes moved north to Saskatoon, Saskatchewan where Agnes taught art instruction at a teacher’s college, a job that required her to fly puddlejumpers into small towns in northern Saskatchewan to perform teacher evaluations. In 1967, Ralph accepted a position at CSU and the Dixes moved to Fort Collins. One month later, their daughter, Linnaea, was born. In the 1970s, Agnes taught art at Blevins, Boltz, and Lesher Junior High Schools. At CSU, Agnes earned masters degrees in Education and Anthropology. She was particularly interested in Pre-Columbian art and wrote her master’s thesis on the rock art of Canyon de Chelly in Arizona. For several years, she taught in the Anthropology Department at CSU. In 1985, Agnes became the Curator of Education at the Fort Collins Museum, a position she held until she retired in 1997. After retirement, Agnes became a member of the City of Fort Collins Landmark Preservation Commission. She was also active in the Cache La Poudre Chapter of the Questers, the Ft. Collins Historical Society and the Eclectic Dialectic, her informal book and discussion group. In recent years, Agnes spent most of her time caring for Ralph with love and grace, patience and good humor through their struggle with Ralph’s Parkinson’s Disease. She also enjoyed spending time with her friends and family, especially her grandson, Leo. Agnes is survived by her husband of 57 years, Professor Emeritus Ralph Leo Dix; daughter Linnaea Dawson; son-in-law Gerard Dawson, grandson Leo Dawson, all of Los Angeles, CA; sister Barbara Poss of Safety Harbor, FL; and numerous nieces and nephews.