Margie Kay (McCullough) Dix was born September 10, 1937, in Colchester Illinois. She was the oldest of two daughters born to Floyd and Thelma (George) McCullough. She was called to her eternal rest on Monday, August 27, 2024, following a short but valiant battle with bone cancer.
Marge is survived by her sister Mildred (McCullough) Fentem and her sister-in-law Virginia Lee (Dix) Clayton Chapman, and her children: Monique (George) Close and Patti (David) Ivans. She is also survived by 8 grandchildren: Olivia (Adam) Brill, Emily (James) Bryer, Sophie Close, Patrick Close, Maggie Close, Brittany (Dix) Bennett, Jake Ivans, and Joshua Ivans. She also had the great pleasure of getting to know her 9 great grandchildren: Ellie and Theo Brill, James Bryer III, Preston, Natalie, and Hunter Bennett, Emma Hillegas, Riley Hillegas Stegall and Rory Ivans. She is also survived by numerous nieces and nephews and their families and friends of special note, including Pam and Phil Stegall, Mark and Claire Pelletier and family, and Cheryl (Allen) Creamer.
She is preceded in death by her husband of 70 years, William E Dix (Bill), her parents, and two beloved granddaughters, Kristol Anne (Ivans) Friel and Angelica Marie (Dix) Hillegas.
Marge grew up on the family farm in Colchester, Illinois, and through all the years, her roots there remained very strong. She met and married Bill when she was 16 years old. They had many great adventures together. They enjoyed traveling and visited all 50 states. If you were to sum up their married life with two words, they would be adventure and devotion. They founded and were enthusiastic participants in an archery club where they met lifelong friends, Joe and Debbie Blackburn. Some of her favorite memories were her month-long trip to Europe with Bill, a later trip to Germany to visit her nephew, Matt, with her sister and other nephew, Andy, and the time she and Bill spent in Colorado prospecting for gold! Also during their time in Colorado, they met Nell and Buddy Allen with whom they had a successful restaurant, The Brown Burro, in Fairplay, Colorado. She enjoyed moving back to Colchester and spending time with her family there and getting to know her nephews and their families better. Following the time in Colchester, they became “Winter Texans” and then full-time residents of Rockport, TX. While there, they developed incredible friendships, especially with Sue and John Williams. About 10 years ago, Bill and Marge moved to Houston and lived with Monique and her family. During that time, they initially traveled and continued enjoying many more adventures together. About 4 years ago, Bill entered in-home hospice care and Marge was his dedicated primary care giver for the remainder of his life.
The last six months of Marge’s life were filled with great suffering and challenges. Shortly following the death of her husband of 70 years in February, she was diagnosed with an aggressive form of metastasized bone cancer which caused her severe pain. She underwent major surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy before receiving the news that the cancer had spread to her heart. During this battle with cancer, she received incredible, compassionate care from the Memorial Hermann cancer team. We would especially like to acknowledge Dr. Erica Giles, her orthopedic oncology surgeon, who was exemplary in her compassionate care. She entered hospice care on July 22 with the same nurses who had previously cared so lovingly for her husband. The nurses and staff from Accredited Hospice (Carey, Krystle, & Debbie) took wonderful care of her and have truly become a part of our extended family. Discussion of Marge’s time battling cancer cannot go without mention of her dear friend Sue Williams who traveled to Houston on two occasions and spent her time (a total of 6+ weeks) devotedly caring for Marge. There could not be a better example of selfless love for another person than Sue. We should all be so lucky to have a friend like that in our hour of need.
A graveside service will be 10:00 A.M. Saturday, July 12, 2025 in Colchester, Illinois, at Mt. Auburn Cemetery. Jones Funeral Chapel in Colchester is handling local arrangements.
Condolences and memories can be expressed to the family at jonesmortuaryfh.com.
