Keith Loren Dixon

Keith L. Dixon, 76, of Stow, Ohio, passed away October 2, 2021, after a short illness.

Keith was born in Akron, Ohio, to Thomas Dixon and Ruth McCulty on Sept. 28, 1945. As an adolescent, Keith was an award-winning Eagle Scout with the Boy Scouts of America. In 1964, he drove buses for Akron Public Schools, a skill he would resume later in life for the Hudson School District.

After joining the U.S. Marine Corps in 1963, Keith served several tours in Vietnam, receiving the Purple Heart Ribbon and Silver Star Ribbon for gallantry in action before being honorably discharged. Later in life, he was given the rank of major after being brought on as a consultant during Operation Desert Storm.

Upon leaving Vietnam, Keith earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Kent State University and a master's degree in Biological Science from Great Northern University. He also taught in Palmyra Township, Ohio.

At the time of his marriage to Sandra "Sandy" Dixon (née Freund) on Oct. 24, 1974, Keith was a bacteriologist at Hawthornden State Hospital. He soon found his calling as a psychopharmacologist for the State of Ohio at Western Reserve Psychiatric Hospital, advancing the field of mental health studies until his retirement in 2000.

Keith loved camping, fishing, vacations with his family, and his time serving his country. He was a patient man who loved animals and enjoyed helping the people he met. He celebrated discovery and knowledge, which were reflected in his hobbies.

Keith was preceded in death by his parents; his brother, Kenneth Dixon; his in-laws, Rev. and Mrs. Alfred Freund, and his sisters-in-law, Barbara Holland and Sharon Shaw. He is deeply missed by his loving wife of 47 years, Sandy Dixon, of Stow, Ohio; his son, Andrew Dixon, of Chagrin Falls, Ohio; his sister, Edith Dixon, of Chitina, Alaska; and Andrew's partner, Ally Melling, of Chagrin Falls, Ohio.

The family thanks Keith's doctors and nurses at Western Reserve Hospital in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, and all those who have lifted Keith and Sandy in their prayers.

Visitation will take place at Tallmadge Lutheran Church at 759 E. Ave., Tallmadge, Ohio, on Friday, October 15, 2021, from 10 a.m. until noon. Funeral services officiated by Rev. Andy Alberts will follow directly.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Tallmadge Lutheran Church (www.tlcoh.org) or the Marine Corps Association Foundation at https://mca-marines.org/donate-to-mcaf/.