William Henry Dixon Jr.

Bill was born on May 8, 1926, in Middlesboro, KY. In grade school, his family relocated to Greensboro, NC, when his mother was transferred to the new Blue Bell plant on Lee Street. The morning after the attack on Pearl Harbor, Dec. 7, 1941, he walked to school past the downtown Greensboro Southern Bell building (surrounded by Army), and afterwards, not yet 18 years old, joined the Merchant Marines, serving in all war theatres as a Liberty ship radio operator. Following WW II, he attended UNC-Chapel Hill, Lambda Chi Fraternity, and received his BA Business Administration degree from Elon College in 1956. His passions were Tar Heel basketball, the Masters Golf Tournament, Hoffman Island Radio Association, and AA/sobriety since Jan. 12, 1984. He was a member of First Baptist Church in Greensboro.

In his early business career, Bill was a business owner of Office Machines Co. in downtown Greensboro, and was later with The Pantry, Inc., Security Division, and an independent polygraph examiner.

Bill is survived by his 21-year-old pet, Fred D. Cat; daughter Debbie and son Henry, both of Greensboro, NC; granddaughter, Brittany; first cousin (grew up like brothers) Sonny D. Fleeman and wife Shirley and sons, Dee and Steve and their families; the Goins family of deceased half-sister Billie Jean of Monroe, MI; and family friend Lynne M. Schoolfield of Greensboro. Officiating the funeral/burial will be childhood friend and Methodist minister, Charles E. Sparks (wife Fran) of Winston-Salem, NC.

Visitation will be held at 1 pm with the funeral/burial immediately following at 2 pm Thursday Jan. 12th at Hanes Lineberry Sedgefield Chapel/Guilford Memorial Park, 6000 High Point Road, Greensboro, NC 27407.

Donations may be made to Greensboro Urban Ministry, 305 W. Lee St., Greensboro, NC 27406; Alcoholics Anonymous (checks payable to Greensboro Intergroup, Inc.), 4125 Walker Ave., Suite C 2, Greensboro, NC 27407.