Dixie Lee Premer

This obituary was written by Ms. Dixie Lee Premer prior to her passing many years ago: Born March 7, 1923, in Versailles, KY, and named for two of her maternal aunts, Dixie Marie and Johnna Lee. She attended seven different schools in the Eastern United States before graduating high school from Bethel Academy, Hopkinsville, KY, then studying at Bethel Women's College, the University of Missouri and Michigan State University, majoring in journalism and political science.

She was married in 1945 to Lt. Isaac Wayne Premer, USAAF, who died in 1991. She was employed part-time at several local area newspapers including the East Lansing Towne Courier, the Ingham County News where she was writer, editor and photographer, and at the Lansing State Journal as a writer. She also did public relations work at the Lansing Tennis Club (Court One) and was Michigan press secretary for the presidential run of John Anderson in 1980. She later free-lanced for the Detroit Free Press and the State Journal.

After her husband's death she took over control of his company, Hager Fox, which she headed for two years before selling it to its present owners. She was a charter member of All Saints Episcopal Church in East Lansing where she served twice on the vestry and as a Lay Eucharistic Minister and was a member of the Altar Guild and Flower Guild. An avid golfer, she played in three leagues and was a member of three bridge clubs. She was a volunteer of the Sparrow Hospital Service Auxiliary (Gift Shop) since 1976 where she was also a buyer. She was also a volunteer with Wharton Center's Inner Circle. Her main focus, however, was raising her five sons who were the joy of her life. Three of them survive her. Stephen Wayne died in 1992, Jeffrey Lee in 1997. Surviving her are sons, Mark, and his wife, Lota Carol, of Lansing; Michael and his wife, Gail, of Chicago; and Gregory and his wife, Melisa, of St. Pete Beach, FL. She leaves Il grandchildren: Charles, Stephanie, Kelly, Mark (Shawn), Michael, Jennifer, Matthew, Aubrey Anna, Shandy Lee and Saralynn Premer; and Lori Ann Shassberger (Stephen). Her seven great-grandchildren are Jacob, Kaitlin and Isaac Premer and Stephen, Jordan, Maren and Brendan Shassberger. She is also survived by a brother, Raymond Putnam Jones, of Wellesley, MA; daughter-in law, Jane, of Birmingham AL; sisters-in-law Shirley Ploughman and Marjorie Stapleton of Scottsdale, AZ; and four nieces and nephews.

A celebration of her life will be at All Saints Episcopal Church, East Lansing, on Wednesday, July 13, 2022 at 10:00am. Committal will take place at Glendale Cemetery following the services.