Dixie Lee Martin

Dixie Lee (Williamson) Martin of Sherwood, Arkansas, passed away on Oct. 26, 2024, after a lengthy illness. Born in 1938 in Bastrop, LA, to Lee Parson and Dixie Nell Williamson, she lived in several towns in Louisiana before her family settled in Springhill, where she attended high school. She later graduated from Louisiana Baptist College with a degree in English and began a lifelong career as a high school English and journalism teacher. She taught at Jacksonville High School early in her career and finished her career at Sylvan Hills High School, where she was the longtime faculty adviser to the student newspaper and yearbook staffs.

To Dixie, teaching wasn’t just a job; it was a chance to make an impact on the lives of her students—and she did, although she would say that it was they who truly made an impact on her. Many of her former students stayed in touch over the years, and she felt great pride in them and their accomplishments. She also took immense pride in being a teacher and thought it was important to be polished and professional in her demeanor and dress. She made it a point to dress stylishly for work, and shopping for clothes was a favorite activity, as every commission-based salesperson in Central Arkansas knew.

As the adviser to the student newspaper and yearbook for many years, Dixie spent much time working closely with students on her newspaper and yearbook staffs. She traveled with them to conventions and other journalism-related activities. Toward the end of her career, she was honored with an award from the Arkansas Press Association for her contributions to journalism education, and she was invited to teach classes and workshops at UALR and Ball State University.

She was preceded in death by her parents, her devoted husband, Cleve, and her brother-in-law, Jerry Rosenbaum. She is survived by her son, Frank Cleve Martin (Kim) and their children, Hayden and Haley; her daughter, Dixie Gail Walters (Lee) and their children, Emmaline and Rhett; her sister, Rebecca Williamson; her sisters-in-law, Carol Duplechin (Barry) and Jean Rosenbaum; and several dear nieces and nephews.

Dixie and Cleve lived in their dream house that they built in Sherwood for nearly 50 years. They loved to open their home to family and friends and entertained often, including a much-anticipated annual New Year’s Day party featuring gumbo, bowl games, New Year’s resolutions, and laughter reverberating throughout the home. She and Cleve also enjoyed many social activities at North Hills Country Club over the years; in retirement, they became interested in boating and owned houseboats on Lake Ouachita and DeGray. They also liked to make short road trips to destinations around the South, especially those that boasted a casino, and Dixie loved to take her annual “girls trip,” usually to Las Vegas, with a close-knit group of friends, including her cherished lifelong friend, the late Betty Kennedy Bryant.

Dixie’s retirement from teaching coincided with the birth of her first grandchild, Hayden, and she threw herself into grandmothering with gusto. Known as “Diddie” to her four grandchildren, she loved spending time with them and taking them to cultural activities, libraries and bookstores, which gave her a chance to impart her love for reading, writing and understanding the experiences of others through stories. She was also a serious bridge player in retirement and a regular at the Little Rock Bridge House.

Dixie will be remembered for how much she loved and cared for her family, friends and hundreds of students over the years and for her fun spirit. She loved a reason to celebrate. We hope you’ll celebrate her life along with us through your fond memories and prayers. Visitation will be at 10:30 a.m. on Nov. 1 at Griffin Leggett Rest Hills, followed by a memorial service at 12 p.m. Donations in Dixie’s memory may be made to Immaculate Conception Catholic School in North Little Rock, the Amy Sanders Library in Sherwood through the Central Arkansas Library System Foundation, or to Our House or Women & ChildrenFirst.