Carolyn Dixon can easily be described as 83 years young, especially with her positive attitude, sunny disposition, and ready smile. She is definitely a “cup half full” person. Carolyn also has the distinction of being the final (and 1954) Miss Tomato Queen, when tomatoes reigned in Tattnall before the Vidalia sweet onion took prominence.
She radiates friendliness, and her pleasant personality endeared herself to her many former customers at Glennville Bank as well as her coworkers.
Carolyn retired as Assistant Vice President when she retired in 2008 after 48 years of service, which included a few part-time years.
“I still miss my customers and my fellow employees. We really did feel like a second family at Glennville Bank,” Carolyn, who is from Glennville, said.
She worked under four bank presidents: Stevie Bacon, Billy Durrence, Wayne Dasher, and Tracy Durrence.
“After a year of business school and before working at the bank, I worked in the Life of Georgia office, which was upstairs in the former Glennville Bank building that was on the corner that has since been razed. This is where the current bank is today,” Carolyn said.
Her parents were the late C. H. “Mutt” and Mildred Wilson Durrence. Carolyn’s father died in 1976 from lymphoma. Mildred lived until age 96, and was mainly a homemaker but had worked at Thain’s 5 & 10 on downtown Barnard Street for several years. Mutt was a farmer and also worked at the State Highway Department in the weighing detail of heavy vehicles.
Carolyn had two siblings, Suzanne Durrence Coons and the late Charles Durrence. Suzanne lives in Fairfax, Virginia, with her husband, Lou.
Carolyn’s husband, Dickey Dixon, passed away in 2017, but he was a familiar face to most in Glennville, having worked for quite a few years for the City of Glennville as Public Works Director. He also previously worked for Lowe Electric of Macon in sales and for Mascot Pecan Company.
Dickey’s parents were the late Winton and “Dippy” Dixon. “Ms. Dippy,” as she was known to so many in Glennville, worked for decades at Strickland’s Pharmacy in Glennville, assisting customers and working behind the soda fountain counter in the 1950s and beyond. Her husband was part-owner of the pharmacy when it was known as Dixon-Mann Pharmacy.
Carolyn and Dickey had two daughters, Kanda and Karla.
Kanda and her husband, O.H. Daniel, live in Bellville. Kanda worked many years at Kemp’s Pharmacy in Claxton, and later was known for her catering services. O.H. works for Shearouse Lumber in Pooler. They have a daughter, Erin, who lives in Statesboro with her husband, Josh Masters, and their son, Hines, age 11.
Karla, who died in 2010 at the age of 46 from breast cancer, worked at Ft. Stewart until her cancer occurred. She had one son, Cliff Kicklighter, to whom Carolyn is quite close.
“On her way to Ft. Stewart, Karla would leave Cliff with me as a baby and I would get him to the babysitter. Then, when he started to school, I would see about getting him to school each day for her,” said Carolyn, recalling those times they spent together before and after school each day.
Today, Cliff lives in Guyton with his wife, Candice, and their four children. They are triplets Dixon, Isaac, and Brenna, soon to be 12 years old in July, and Karly, nine years old. Cliff is assistant principal at the middle/high school in Pembroke, and Candice is a math teacher at South Effingham Middle School.
“Cliff and his family live a busy life with all four children and their activities, and I enjoy the great-grandchildren spending occasional weekends with me,” Carolyn said. “When we were growing up, my mother had a home-cooked meal every day for us, and she made the best homemade biscuits. As our after-school snack, we would make a hole in the top of a biscuit and pour syrup into it. This was delicious.” Carolyn is grateful for her good health today, even though she had breast cancer in 1990 and is enjoying a full recovery today.
Although her travel is limited today, she still enjoys a trip to the beach each year with her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Beaches have included Daytona, St. Augustine, Tybee, Panama City, St. Petersburg (Remington Beach), and Driftwood Beach at Jekyll Island.
“I’ve been a member at First Baptist Church in Glennville for 60 years, and I enjoy our Friendship Sunday School Class, taught by Ronnie Barnhill and Troy Rahn,” Carolyn said.
One of her favorite pastimes is working in her yard and with her flowers, which are now gorgeous in full bloom.
Carolyn still likes to cook, and her chocolate layer cake is a favorite with her family, and her great-grandchildren always ask for her chicken and dumplings when they visit.
“I have been blessed with good neighbors, too, with Eileen Bland on one side and Lois Sanders on the other side. Lois died recently, but she was a dear friend as well as a wonderful neighbor,” Carolyn said. “I know that I am blessed to have the health that I do today at my age. Family and good health, these are simply the best blessings in life.”
Carolyn Dixon’s Recipes
PINEAPPLE CHEESE BALL
2 (8-oz.) pkgs. cream cheese, softened
1 Tbsp. onion, chopped
2 cups pecans, chopped (reserve 1 cup)
1 large can crushed pineapple, drained
1/4 cup green pepper, chopped
1 tsp. salt
Mix all ingredients and chill. Shape into a ball, and roll in reserved cup of pecans.
BANANA SPLIT CAKE
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
2 sticks margarine (1 stick melted and 1 stick softened)
1 (8-oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened
2 cups powdered sugar
1 cup nuts, chopped
3 bananas
1 large can crushed pineapple, well drained
1 container (12-oz.) Cool Whip
maraschino cherries for garnish
Blend cracker crumbs and 1 stick of melted margarine. Press into the bottom of a dish to form a crust. Mix cream cheese, 1 stick of softened margarine, and sugar, and beat until fluffy. Make a layer over the crust. Make a layer of sliced or mashed bananas next and then a layer of pineapple. Top the pineapple with Cool Whip. Sprinkle with nuts, and decorate with cherries.
