Dixie Brown Quincy, Iola, 79, died peacefully Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2018, in Phoenix, Ariz., after a struggle with kidney disease. Dixie was born April 14, 1938, in Beloit, to James Robert “Doc” Brown and Marjorie “Marge” Brown. She was raised in Cawker City. Doc came from a large family — six boys and two girls — so though Dixie was an only child, she was always surrounded by aunts, uncles, cousins and family. She was one of the oldest cousins, a role she treasured. Dixie graduated from Cawker City High School in 1956, where she was a cheerleader.
Dixie graduated from Fort Hays State University in May 1959 with an education degree. She was in Delta Zeta sorority, the same one her granddaughter chose some 50 years later. She began teaching in Topeka. There she met Lavonne Bartlett, who thought Dixie and Lavonne’s brother, Floyd “Buck” Quincy, would be a good match. She set them up on a blind date. Buck and Dixie met shortly before Thanksgiving 1959. Less than three months later, on Feb. 6, 1960, Dixie married the love of her life, Buck Quincy.
Buck and Dixie soon moved to Iola, where they made their home and started a family. Dixie taught kindergarten in Humboldt for a few years. In October 1964, they welcomed the first of their four children, Gretchen. In December 1965, Stephanie joined the family. Chris came along in December 1969 and Greg in October 1972.
Buck and Dixie became fixtures in Iola, both teaching and coaching. Dixie began teaching full time in the late ’70s, accepting a seventh-grade science position at Iola Junior High School (now Iola Middle School).
The science class covered sex education, and Dixie’s daughter, Stephanie, was so concerned that her mother was naïve and would not know the material, that she took detailed notes from the prior teacher, Georgia Masterson, and gave them to her mother. Dixie thanked her daughter but assured her that she would be fine covering the curriculum.
Dixie loved butterflies and was involved in many scientific studies examining migration patterns which she used in her science classes. She would take in any animals students brought in and at one point, had a 6-foot by 6-foot tarantula cage on her front porch.
Dixie was very involved in Girl Scouts, not only leading her daughters’ troops over the years, but also serving as Neighborhood Chairman including handling the calendar sales, cookie drives and summer camps. She was known on camping trips for her chipper demeanor in the mornings, including waking the troops with an energetic version of “the bright sun comes up, the dew melts away, good morning, good morning, the little birds say.” Many of the girls’ friends remember Dixie this way.
Dixie also was the sponsor for the junior high cheerleaders, which we are told is viewed very favorably by St. Peter. Over the years, many of her students relied on her to help them with the struggles of the early teen years, family issues, and school problems. She was a mother to anyone who needed one.
Dixie was blessed with seven grandchildren. Gretchen had Brittney, Nicholas and Matthew (with her husband Gerald Jacobs). Stephanie had Mitchell and Jillian (with former husband Martin Crist). Greg had Jordan and Justin (with his wife Andrea Nelson Quincy). Gretchen died suddenly in 2005, and Dixie performed her most valiant role in helping raise Brittney, Nicholas and Matthew, who shared an incredibly close bond with their grandmother.
Dixie was preceded in death by Doc and Marge Brown, her beloved daughter Gretchen, and many family members and close friends. Dixie is survived by her husband Buck, who will always be an Iolan but is now living in Phoenix, Arizona with Stephanie and her family. Dixie is also survived by son-in-law Gerald Jacobs (Gretchen’s husband) and their children Brittney (Hays), Nicholas (El Paso, Texas) and Matthew (Pittsburg); daughter Stephanie and her husband Dr. Robert Groves and her children Mitchell and Jillian (Phoenix, Ariz.); son Chris (Iola); and son Greg and his wife Andrea (Eldon, Mo.) and their children Jordan and Justin.
The family will greet friends from 6 to 8 p.m. Monday at Feuerborn Family Funeral Service, 1883 U.S. 54, Iola. A funeral service for Dixie will be at 10 a.m. Tuesday at the funeral home. Burial will follow at Highland Cemetery in Iola.
The family is hosting a lunch at the Allen County Country Club for friends and family after the interment on Tuesday; all are welcome. Memorials are suggested to Humanity House and may be left with the funeral home.
