Obituary of Dixiella (Dixie) Marie Myers Simon

Dixiella (Dixie) Marie Myers Simon

August 5, 1966 - February 22, 2022

Dixiella (Dixie) Marie Myers Simon 55, Apple Valley, MN, passed away on Tuesday, February 22, 2022 at her residence. Memorial Service Celebration of Life will be 9:00am to 11:00am Saturday, March 12, 2022 at the Cremation Society of Minnesota, 7110 France Avenue, Edina, MN and a Memorial Service Celebration of Life in South Dakota will be held on April 9, 2022 at 1:00pm to 3:00pm at Schriver’s Memorial Fellowship Center, 414 5th Avenue NW, Aberdeen, SD.

Dixiella (Dixie) Marie Myers Simon, daughter of Delores (Dee) (Knudtson) and Ralph Myers, was born August 5, 1966, at St. Mary’s Hospital in Pierre, SD. Dixie attended school at a one-room country school, Franklin Elementary in Hyde County, SD from grades K-8. She attended Highmore High School, participated in Cheerleading, Gymnastics, Horse Riding Camp and other activities. Dixie graduated with Honors in the top 10 of her class of 26. She attended Black Hills State College for Commercial Art. During the fall semester she was asked by Gerard Simon to get married. The couple were married on September 28, 1985, at St. Anthony’s Catholic Church in Hoven, SD at the age of 19. She soon then decided that college was not for her, then she moved back to Highmore, SD for a short time and later on to Pierre, SD. In Pierre Dixie completed 232 hours of training at the Pierre Clerical Program. She then gave birth to her first child, Austin on February 14, 1986, in Pierre, SD. The adventure led her and Gerard to Minnesota. There, she was employed at some small end jobs to make ends meet. In 1987, she was employed by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) as a Computer Specialist which resulted her being the Web Manager/IT Specialist. She then gave birth to a second child, her daughter, Megan on July 7, 1989, in Burnsville, MN.

During her employment she had the chance to be in over 35 classes on different subjects in many cities across the United States. Gerard and Dixie divorced in 1992, Gerard moved back to South Dakota and Dixie remained in Minnesota.

Dixie continued her life in Minnesota and working for the USDA. In June of 1998 she received a letter from the Vice President, Al Gore thanking her for her role in the effort to make our Government work better, cost less and get the results that matter to all Americans. She was very dedicated to her job. It showed and paid off. She worked for the USDA for over 35 years until the time of her passing, even with cancer.

On April 1, 2021 she was happily remarried to the man who she loved for many years, David Lawrence. She gained one stepdaughter, Shannen. She kept her last name of Simon so it would be easier for her records. Dave took care of Dixie, took her to her many chemo treatments and they enjoyed life together. She loved her husband and was forever grateful for him and appreciated his help when she needed it the most.

Besides her strong computer skills, she also had other talents and enjoyed drawing, sculpting clay, creating 3-D cards, pottery, cross stitching, sewing, making other crafts, which at one time in her life some she had sold. She also enjoyed gardening, growing and watering flowers, grilling, cooking, baking and she was proud of it and good at it. She loved to rollerblade, play video games, computer games, listen to music and dance. She also enjoyed helping others, spending time with her best friends and social events. She was a fan of donating to charitable organizations. Dixie had also helped prepare food at the VFW in Rose Mount, MN for Vets and locals usually for Thanksgiving.

Dixie looked forward to when her kids would come to visit in the summer as they grew up. She communicated with them as much as she could and they communicated with her. She loved visiting them, along with her son-in-law, daughter-in-law, and family in South Dakota. She also organized family gatherings with her siblings in South Dakota through the years. Even though she lived a state away from her family, she loved when people would check in on her and she would reach out to her family in South Dakota. Her last visit to South Dakota was her daughter Megan’s wedding in Watertown, SD Oct. 3, 2020 which she was very thankful for and to see all of her family.

Dixie had a love for pet cats ever since she had grown up on the farm. In her later life, she had owned many cats and cared for them. She loved long haired cats and had a couple Persians and a Himalayan. A couple of her beloved cats were Coco, Lilly, and Tinkerbell. She currently had a black Persian who kept her company, named Jet.

Dixie was a caring, generous, hardworking, independent, smart woman who had lots of strength. She was diagnosed with different types of cancers in her later years which included Ovarian Cancer, Leiomyosarcoma Cancer, Lung Cancer and the most recent being Brain Cancer, which started on Oct. 21, 2020. When she found out she had Brain Cancer, she went through a brain surgery on the same day. After the brain surgery she continued to battle all the cancers and never gave up, even when times got tough.

Dixie’s words of wisdom were “Love yourself and others. Love God, be happy and enjoy life. Learn all you can and work hard to get what you want out of life, and you will have it.”

Dixie is survived by her husband Dave Lawrence; her son, Austin (Lindsey) Simon of Aberdeen, SD; her daughter Megan (Travis) Weyh of Watertown, SD; siblings Roxie (Eugene) Goehring of Box Elder, SD, Steve (Norma) Myers of Rapid City, SD, Terry (Sharon) Myers of Sioux Falls, SD, Roger Myers (Linda Bierman) of Aberdeen, SD and sister-in-law Rhonda Myers of Onida, SD and by many nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.

She is preceded in death by her parents, Ralph and Delores (Dee) Myers; her brother, Kenneth Myers; nephews Anthony Goehring and Shawn Myers and niece, Hannah Bauman.

In lieu of flowers, memorials can be directed to the American Cancer Society and the National Leiomyosarcoma Foundation.