Remembering John Dixon

John Douglas Dixon, retired faculty member and former chair of electrical engineering, Plymouth, Minn., passed away Sunday, November 17, 2019. He was 95.

He was born July 29, 1924 in Montrose, Minn., the youngest child of James Darrow and Evelyn Johanna (Wandersee) Dixon.

John graduated from Buffalo High School in 1941. He received his bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of Minnesota and his master’s in electrical engineering from the University of Missouri in Columbia.

On Aug. 26, 1949, John Douglas Dixon and Ruth Hildegard Mielke were united in marriage at Cross Lutheran Church in Rockford.

John was an electrical engineering professor at UND in Grand Forks for 35+ years until his retirement in the late 1980s. He was also past department chairman and ambassador for the electrical engineering program at UND.

John was very strong and active in his faith and was a faithful member of Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church in Plymouth.

John enjoyed polka dancing, and he especially enjoyed meeting people and socializing and laughing with them. He loved teaching and his students.

John was a loving husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather who was kind and generous to all. He was a conscientious and peaceful man.

He is preceded in death by his parents, James and Evelyn Dixon; older siblings, Donald, Clifford, Kenneth, Aaron, Eloise Lieder; and granddaughter, Ramona Zeman.

John is survived by his loving wife, Ruth Dixon; children, Rita Zeman (Bryan Striemer), Ron Dixon (Patti Haase), Jeff (Barb) Dixon, Janice Dixon; grandchildren, Renee (Tim), Joe, Sam, Luke; great-grandson, Harrison; sisters-in-law, Hertha Dixon, Joanne Rogers, Irene Thompson, Judy Mielke; and many nieces, nephews, family and friends.