Dolores G. Dixon

DOLORES BRANGMAN DIXON – CELEBRATION OF LIFE

A beautiful soul came into this world on August 7, 1930. Dolores Brangman was born to Lillian

Ratteray Brangman and Oscar Brangman in New York, New York. Her parents had emigrated

from Bermuda one year before, looking for more opportunities. The small family settled in

Brooklyn, where Oscar was a house painter and Lillian was a housewife.

Later, two more daughters were born, Eunace and Lenore. The three girls led a charmed life in

Brooklyn, and Dolores often spoke about her happy childhood and years of being a “Brooklyn

Girl.” She ALWAYS identified as a proud Brooklynite as well as a loyal Bermudian who visited

her grandmother, aunts, uncles and hosts of other cousins, friends, and relatives in Bermuda.

Dolores was also a devout Christian who regularly attended St. Barnabas Episcopal Church.

Later, even as dementia set in, she fondly remembered Father Benedict and the Sunday church

services she attended.

Dolores attended Thomas Jefferson High School, where she was popular among a diverse

group of students. Her yearbook described her as “personality plus, without any fuss,” and she

was named “Frenchy” because of her favorite language arts subject. After graduating from High

School, she worked at the Brooklyn Public Library. Always inquisitive, and a lover of language,

this was the perfect job for her. She often spoke of those days of work and play – working at the

library by day and lindy hopping at the Savoy by night.

In 1959, she married Robert Dixon and two years later, her only child, Melody, came along. A

sweet and doting mother, she often read to her daughter in French and spent time trying to

teach her little girl to knit and crochet. Unfortunately, Melody never learned French nor the

knitting, but she still has fond memories of those days.

In the late sixties, Dolores earned her associate’s degree in business administration from

Brooklyn College. This accented her career of secretarial and administrative work from which

she retired.

Although Dolores’ later years were marked by mental and physical challenges, she never lost

her sweet spirit and love of life. Every morning, she rose and would always say, “I’m so happy

to be here!” Dementia may have robbed her of many wonderful memories, but it didn’t take

away her knowing who she was and who her daughter was. Nor did it deter her love of God

and the church. Until the day she died, she could recite The Lord’s Prayer word-for-word with

ease.

Today, we celebrate Dolores Dixon. She leaves behind a legion of family and friends who

cherished her and will miss her dearly…her daughter Melody, grandsons Robert and Richard,

grand daughter-in-law Kelsey, great grandson Anthony, her step daughters Robin and Katrina,

her niece JoAnn Fashina, nephews Douglas and Kemmet Reed, and a host of other

grandnieces, grandnephews, cousins, and friends here in the U.S. and in Bermuda.

Blessed Are They That Mourn 

by JoAnn Fashina 

(Dolores B. Dixon’s Niece)

7/2/79

Blessed are they that mourn for they shall be comforted.

That mourn, That mourn,

For they shall be comforted.

They shall know that we love them; care for them.

We the children of Christ; we love you.

GOD IS LOVE. GOD IS LIGHT.

We the children of light; we love you.

Blessed are they that mourn.

Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven;

Poor in spirit, Poor in spirit,

Yet having the riches of salvation.

That HOLY GHOST fire,

Burning within!

That HOLY GHOST light,

Burning within!

That HOLY GHOST love,

Burning within!

We the children of God, we love.

Life and Death are in God’s Control 

by JoAnn Fashina

(Dolores Brangman Dixon’s Niece)

5/26/11

I almost stepped on the carcass of a dead sparrow.

Springtime beauty had awakened and as I examined

The beautiful budding trees and flowers.

I did not expect to see a dead bird.

It was young small, frail, and bloody, recently dead.

I wondered how did it die?

Was it attacked by a cat that made sport of it?

But was too well fed to devour it?

Was it hit with a bat and smashed?

Then I compared it to all the living sparrows,

Plump, strong and quick,

And I asked myself was it too weak or unobservant

To avoid the dangers of death?

In this new season of another spring,

Some will thrive and some will die.

What is it that determines how we will fare?

How does God decide who is taken and who survives?

Should we even be asking why?

Does God want us to know the answers?

Or should I say do we refuse to accept the answers

Of life and death,

Heaven and Hell.

Do we refuse to acknowledge that God owns us,

And the entire Heavens and Earth?

We do not belong to ourselves.

We do not bring ourselves into the world,

And ultimately, we do not take ourselves out of it,

Without God’s permissive will allowing us to do so.

For us humans, life is still a mystery and death is too.

It is unfolded to us only a little at a time,

The longer we live.

Yet life and death surround us each day

And reach out to befriend us in many ways.

Life embraces us as our hearts pump blood and our lungs breathe.

Death confronts us as we fight against it

And watch others succumb to its grip.

We are reminded of them day by day,

And we are reminded of the afterlife in Heaven and Hell.

We are reminded of Hell in war & sickness,

Crime & Corruption,

In Torture & Injustice.

Hell is mentioned in the Bible fifty-four times.

It is the final spiritual death,

And the enemy of all mankind.

We are reminded of Heaven in peace & in joy,

In love & in righteousness,

In religious experiences & in miracles incomprehensible to the human mind.

Heaven is mentioned in the Bible more than five hundred times.

We befriend Life when we make the best of it,

In whatever state we find ourselves.

As we build our lives and form bonds in relationships,

We gain a love for life.

We befriend Death when we no longer fear Him.

When we share that blessed hope beyond the grave,

We can look forward to eternal life,

When we gain acceptance of the loss of a loved one

By being able to believe they are no longer suffering,

We gain an appreciation for the natural death.

And finally when we can totally trust God

And place ourselves in his hands,

We have peace in knowing,

Life and Death are in God’s control!

*Psalms 49:14-15, 62:11, I Corinthians 15:20-28, Jude 24-25