TAHLEQUAH – An epic battle against cancer was finished on Aug. 24, 2010 when Peter Donald Dixon went home from Tahlequah Hospital fully healed. Born on Long Island (Amityville, N.Y.) on Jan. 5, 1951, to Florence and Donald Dixon, Peter was no stranger to the valley of the shadow of death. He courageously and uncomplainingly faced the long and painful battle knowing his path was mapped out by the very creator of the universe. He gave the steerage of his course to the Lord Jesus Christ at age 5 and grew in his faith and submission to the Lord’s will over the span of his 59 years. Adnoid Cystic Carcinoma was first diagnosed on Peter’s tongue in 1994 shortly after his marriage to Cordelia Susan Dixon and the blending of their family of three boys, Benjamin Peter Dixon, Kyle Zachary Dixon, and Benjamin Joseph Vivaldi Morse in Ben Lomond, Calif., just out side of Santa Cruz. During the next 20 years, Peter endured neutron radiation, radiation of his saliva glands, lung surgery, tongue resection and radiation, and then more rounds of chemotherapy than anyone normally goes through at Stanford University Hospital. The family was told Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma is a slow but relentless killer, originating in the saliva glands. He bravely and humbly endured the many painful cures and treatments, including six months on a feeding tube in 1998. Throughout these 20 years, while raising his three boys and celebrating the gift of life day by day, Peter worked as the family bread winner by being a systems administrator and computer engineer for Sun Microsystems. His colleagues always respected him for his level head, reliability, and problem solving abilities. If needed, he would take his tools from home and work on the hardware – an unexpected task clearly outside of his job description. Although he would never take the promotions offered into administration and although he made it clear he would only work his 40 hours each week because his family was his first priority, he was always a valued employee and received high commendations from the company leaders. Through many lay-offs in the later years at the company, and in spite of his illness and times of treatment, he remained employed. In 2008, Peter went on disability, many years after he would have been eligible. Singing was a favorite expression of Peter’s passion for the Lord. He often sang solos and took part in the choir at his California church. He also enjoyed the chorale group at work and performed with them. He had sung with a traveling Christian quartet as a teenager in New York and later at Moody Bible Institute. When he suffered the tongue resection and lost his “radio announcer” voice, he learned to play the base guitar so he could continue to participate in the church worship team. He was the coordinator of the worship team for eight years at Felton Bible Church in California. Woodworking and construction were high on Peter’s list of interests. He gathered many tools through the years as he crafted the home he owned in Ben Lamond, Calif. He enjoyed all aspects of the building process. Over the years, usually in the evenings after his one-hour-plus commute from work, he built decks, fences, garden hard-scape for Cordelia, a charming garden studio, a “cute as a doll house” bike shed that his boys refused to use, a screen porch, book shelves, crown molding and trim for the house. He did plumbing, electrical, drywall, painting, tile work, brick-laying, framing and finish carpentry. He also did his own car repair, piano tuning, and loved watching the stars with his telescope. He was quick to use the library or Internet to learn what was needed to get the job done, and his quality work was admired by everyone. Reading was ever a comfort and source of power for Peter. He loved Fine Homebuilding and other woodworking magazines, Air and Space Magazine, sea novels, especially those by Patrick O’Brian and mysteries by Dorothy Sayers. He could often be found in his recliner with a cat on his lap and a book in his hand. As a child his mother would make him go outside to get some air, but he would be found on the porch step with his nose still in his book. Once he read through the entire dictionary – and as an adult, he never lost his love for words. Gifted in generosity, Peter gave freely of his time in service to his God through the local church. He saw that the speakers and electronics were of the finest quality and crawled through the hot, dusty attics to install them. He was a patient teacher, helping people learn to run the sound system, one of which returned later to tell him he had gone on to find his career in the music industry doing sound after Peter’s teaching. He felt honored to support missionaries on the foreign fields both monetarily and in prayer on bended knee. He supported his family in their passions as well, assisting his wife and boys in developing their interests, talents and gifts. He is survived by three sons: Benjamin Dixon, 32, of Manhattan, N.Y., who works as a senior vice president for Macquarie Group of Australia – with a MBA from U.C. Berkley. Benjamin has remodeled several homes using the skills learned being his father’s apprentice. Kyle Dixon, 27 of Salinas, Calif., is the senior buyer at Salinas Memorial Hospital. Kyle enjoys the car repair skills Peter encouraged, as well as cooking and building. His stepson, Ben Morse, 24, developed a knack for and love of computers. A graduate of U.C. Davis, Ben is a computer engineer in the Bay area and lives in Milpitas, Calif. His cherished wife, Cordelia, was ever his partner in hospitality. Together they hosted simple and elaborate celebrations, theme parties, and dinners. He always encouraged giving generously to guests with no thought of keeping score of how many times they were the hosts. They continued to give dinners even when he was on a feeding tube and he barbecued for others when he could eat only liquids. Peter’s father Donald Dixon preceded him in death in 1996, after moving to Tahlequah with his wife Florence Dixon in 1993. Florence is still thriving at Go Ye Village where Peter’s in-laws and Cordelia’s parents have also come to live (Mildred and George Gibbs). Having these family members here helped lead Peter and his wife, Cordelia, to Oklahoma in October 2009. Nearing the end of his projected fight with cancer, Peter boldly stepped out with Cordelia intending to serve the community with a bed and breakfast.
Published on August 26, 2010