Dixielee Dalton

On Friday, August 30, 2019, Dixielee Dalton passed away at age 81 from congestive heart failure at her home in Ione, CA. Dixie was born on March 1, 1938 in Casper, WY to Lowell and Audrie (Adamson) Hawkes. She grew up in Arizona and spent her early adulthood in Los Angeles before relocating for her employer, AT&T, to Northern California in 1985, where she met and married James Dalton. She and Jim moved to Ione, CA in 2006. As a long-time resident of Southern California, Disneyland truly was Dixie’s “Happiest Place on Earth” and after moving to Northern California, she continued to visit as often as she could. Dixie was also an avid sports fan -- once a diehard fan of the LA Dodgers, she shifted her devotion to the Oakland Athletics following her move to the San Francisco Bay Area. As baseball season ended, Dixie could be found cheering on the San Francisco 49ers and for years was known to run a long-standing Superbowl pool. Gaming was in her blood, whether it was league night bowling, watching her favorite teams, making regular visits to the casino, playing cards with friends or online trivia games with her sister, June -- Dixie always chased the thrill of the game. She was a voracious reader, thoroughly enjoying murder mysteries and anything by author Mary Higgins Clark. Dixie was known for her sparkling blue eyes, perfectly coiffed hair and dry, sarcastic, witty sense of humor -- a beautiful woman and life of the party. And, in the kitchen, she made a mean meatloaf and a fantastic cheesecake. Dixie was preceded in death by her husband, James Dalton and by her brothers, Russ Belisle, Jamie Hawkes and Larry Belisle. She is survived by her son, Robert Kluttz Jr. of Henderson, North Carolina and his wife, Debra Kluttz, and by her son, Leonard Fisher of San Mateo, CA and his wife, Alex Fisher, and Dixie’s beloved granddaughter, Maggie Fisher. Dixie is also survived by her siblings Ronald Belisle, June Ruyle and Renee Belisle, cousins, nieces and nephews and a number of friends. Since Dixie was a person who didn’t like others to make a fuss, in lieu of any formal services or memorial, the Castle Village community where she lived will be honoring Dixie during their monthly BINGO game on Friday, September 13th and her family will be remembering her privately with plans to fulfill her interest in travel, taking her to places she was never able to visit during her time on Earth. (and maybe a return trip to at least one place where she was her “happiest”). Dixie’s family asks that her memory be honored with donations to the American Red Cross, a provider of relief and support to those in crisis (https://www.redcross.org).