John E. Dix

John E. Dix, 90 of Devils Lake formerly of the Cando/Starkweather area died on Thursday morning, July 17, 2008 at Mercy Hospital, Devils Lake. Funeral Services for John will be held on Monday, July 21, 2008 at 11:00 a.m. at the First United Methodist Church, Devils Lake. Rev. David Birkeland will officiate and burial will be in the Devils Lake Cemetery. Visitation will be held at the Gilbertson Funeral Home, Devils Lake on Sunday from 2:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. with the family present from 4:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m. Visitation on Monday will be at the church one hour prior to the funeral service. Casket Bearers will be John’s grandchildren, Tyrone Dix, Nolan Dix, Pamela Pearson, Cathy Saele-Odendaal, Kimberly Leslie, Tonya Boynton, Tammie Skari and Travis Corneillie Music will be provided by Mary Oehlke, soloist and JoDee Lagein, organist. John was born on September 15, 1917 at Cando, ND the son of John and Ella (Bodelson) Dix. He grew up and was educated in the Cando/Starkweather area attending a Country School. John began his life long bond with the soil and nature as a very young man when he rented some land near Starkweather and began farming. John was united in marriage to Eileen A Strong on September 25, 1939 at Cando. They established their home at rural Cando and later moved to a farm near Starkweather. They lived, worked and raised their family there through the years. In 1980, they moved to Devils Lake and in 2000 they moved to the Odd Fellows Home. Eileen passed away on May 4, 2005. In September of 2007, John became a resident of the Good Samaritan Center. John wasn’t content to sit idle during the winter months so he worked as a furnace man for Behm’s Propane for many years and also worked in Maintenance at the Great Northern Hotel Apartments for 20 years. John was a long time member of the Eagles Lodge and former member of the Starkweather Methodist Church and since moving to Devils Lake was a member of the First United Methodist Church John left a legacy of faith in God, faith in family and faith in the bounty and beauty of the earth. His children, grandchildren and great grandchildren always brought joy and a smile to his face. He will be forever in our hearts and memories. John is survived by his children: Roger Dix and his wife, Glenda of Starkweather; Dianne Saele and her husband, Harris of Devils Lake and Gloria Corneillie and her husband, Gene also Devils Lake Grandchildren: Tyrone (Melissa) Dix, Bowman, ND- Nolan (Cheryl) Dix, Hettinger, ND; Pamela (Erik) Pearson, Stevensville, Montana-Cathy (Apollo) Saele-Odendaal, Devils Lake-Kimberly (Thom) Leslie, Atlanta, Georgia-Tonya (John) Boynton, Elk Grove, California; Tammie (Brad) Skari, Grand Forks-Travis Corneillie, Mankato, Minnesota. Great Grandchildren: Kaitlyn Ashley, Lindsey and Nathan Dix of Bowman; Jacob, Joshua and Gabrielle Dix of Hettinger; Cassidy, Tristan and Skylar Pearson of Stevensville, Montana; Hunter Leslie of Atlanta, Georgia; Bryce, Braden and Cameron Boynton of Elk Grove, CA; Chloe, Zechary and Julia Skari of Grand Forks. Sisters-In-Law: Helen Dix of Fargo, ND and Violet Laver of West Covina, California Several nieces, nephews and their families also survive. He was preceded in death by his parents; his wife, Eileen; sisters, Lela Hopkins, Jeanette Ingle, Josephine Stephenson, Mable Peterson and Helen Strong; brothers, Albert Dix and Joe Dix.