Dixie Grandmaitre (Lebanon)'s Obituary
Dixie Virginia Grandmaitre was born July 30, 1932 to James Sherman and Sarah Bernhardt Sherman in Keewalik, Alaska. She passed away Wednesday, February 28, 2024, in Strafford Care Center in Strafford, Missouri, surrounded by her loving family. At the time of her passing she was ninety-one years, six months and twenty-nine days of age.
Dixie was raised in Alaska and was proud of her Eskimo heritage. She moved to Michigan when she was a young lady and resided there for several years before moving to Missouri. She first lived in Dallas County, Missouri before moving to Lebanon.
After moving to Missouri, she served as support staff for Tan Tara Resort. She also was employed at Prudhoe Bay Oil Field and assisted in the Valdez Oil Spill.
On June 3, 1976, she was united in marriage to Warren Joseph Grandmaitre, and they shared over thirty-four years of marriage before he passed away on November 28, 2010 at their Lebanon home.
She followed the Catholic faith for much of her life.
In addition to her husband, Dixie was preceded in death by her parents; her first husband, Tom Spence; two daughters, Bonnie Lou Jones and Cindy Lee Spence; her granddaughter, Angela; a great-grandson, Gabriel; her brother, Enos Bernhardt; and several half-brothers and half-sisters.
She is survived by her daughter, Sarah Jones and husband Howard of Lebanon, Missouri; two sons, Leon Spence and wife Kathy of Tunas, Missouri and Tom Spence and wife Connie of Urbana, Missouri; her sister, Savalla May Simpson of Mount View, Washington; her son-in-law, Dean Jones of Lebanon, Missouri; several half-brothers and half-sisters; eleven grandchildren; twenty-six great-grandchildren; and fifteen great-great-grandchildren.
Dixie was quite the social butterfly and was active in several organizations. She enjoyed being involved with the Hughes Senior Center where she enjoyed playing games and eating lunch with her friends. She also was a member of the Senior Police Academy through the Lebanon Police Department. She volunteered at The Free Store for fifteen years and made many friends while there. She was a fun person to be around and liked to dance.
In her spare time, Dixie liked to knit and crochet. She also loved being outdoors, hiking the trails at Ha Ha Tonka State Park and Bennett Spring State Park. One of her favorite things to do was play the game “Aggravation” with her friends and grandchildren.
Dixie was a loving and friendly person and her life revolved around her family. She loved them so much and treasured the time she could spend with them. Her loss leaves a great void in the family, but we know the memories they made with her will be cherished for years to come.
Service for Dixie Grandmaitre will be Monday, March 4, 2024 at 6 p.m. at Holman-Howe Funeral Home. Visitation will follow the service.
A memorial to the Free Store Ministry has been established and donations may be left at the funeral home.
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