Dixie Kathleen (Allen) Derr passed away peacefully at her home on February 27, 2024, after a long and courageous battle with cancer.
Dixie was born in Union Star, Missouri, on January 28, 1944. She was one of seven children of Loren Allen and Dorothy Ferne (Campbell) Allen.
Dixie and her family moved to Oregon, Missouri, just before her junior year of high school. While Dixie was sad to leave her friends in Union Star, she made new ones in Oregon and became active in school. Her favorite classes were biology and shorthand. Dixie played basketball, was a cheerleader, and was crowned the 1961 Oregon High School Homecoming Queen her senior year. Dixie graduated from South Holt High School in the spring of 1962.
Dixie went on to use her exceptional shorthand skills working as an administrative assistant for Missouri Methodist Hospital in St. Joseph, Missouri, and Attorneys Rupert Pettijohn and Jack Eiser of Pettijohn and Eiser LLC, in Oregon, Missouri.
On January 17, 1964, she married her best friend George Warner (G.W.) Derr, and they became the loving parents to two children, Brad and Bridgit.
Dixie loved to knit as a hobby but turned her hobby into a business when she opened Dixie's Knitting Room in Oregon, Missouri, in 1980 and became a dealer for Brother Knitting Machines. Teaching others to knit was high on her list of favorite activities. She gave free lessons to her customers and hosted a "Knit Club" that met monthly and included thirty-one members from three states. She also taught for Brother Seminars in Kansas City, Missouri.
As Dixie grew her business, she opened a new location in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1986.
G.W. and Dixie purchased Oregon Truck & Tractor Inc. in 1991. Dixie managed the office, handled all the bookkeeping, and wrote contracts and equipment warranties. In the fall of 1998 they opened Derr Equipment in Savannah, Missouri. G.W. and Dixie retired full-time in 2009 and moved to Table Rock Lake. Retirement was full of lake activities enjoyed by family and friends.
Dixie was most active throughout her life, serving her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. She was a founding member of the Oregon First Baptist Church, where she played the piano, taught bible study, and was an accompanist for weddings and funerals for friends and family throughout their community.
She traveled abroad, sharing the Gospel during her four Missionary trips to Africa and later taking her granddaughter, Micaela Patterson, to Bolivia. She taught VBS, Acteens, and G.A.s and led women's ministry groups. Dixie didn't let retirement slow her down. She became an active member at the First Baptist Church, Kimberling City, where she continued to teach Sunday School, help with VBS and AWANA's, and was committed to sharing Jesus with her friends, neighbors, and others while on the stateside mission trips. She and GW were avid hosts who loved to share their home during "Dinner for 8" nights with their church family.
Dixie passed away on Tuesday, February 27, 2024 at her St. Joseph, Missouri home.
She is preceded in death by her parents, sister and brother-in-law Alice and Martin Barker, and brother and sister-in-law Clifford and Connie Allen.
Survivors include her husband of 60 years, G.W; son and wife, Brad and Deena Derr of Oregon, Missouri and her daughter; Bridgit Derr Patterson of Liberty, Missouri; four grandchildren; Garrett Derr and wife Rebecca, and Cutler Derr and wife Karley, all of Oregon, Missouri; Micaela Patterson and Colby Patterson of Liberty, Missouri; and one great-grandchild, McCormick Derr of Oregon; sister Donna Slaybaugh of Kansas City, Missouri; brother and wife Richard and Sharron Allen of Tennessee; sister and husband Drs Marcia and Dennis Hansen of Wisconsin; brother and wife Ron and Tracy Allen of Oregon, Missouri; and numerous nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends who adored her.
Dixie had a selfless personality and touched so many lives. She was a remarkable woman who loved big and made life a whole light brighter. She had the best laugh, and could make a whole room smile. She brought true joy, the joy that can only be found in Jesus.
Funeral services: Saturday, March 9, 2024, 11:00 am, First Baptist Church, Oregon, Missouri. Family will greet friends one hour prior to services, at the church. Interment: Maple Grove Cemetery. Memorials may be directed to the Epilepsy Foundation of Missouri and Kansas, or the First Baptist Church.
