Dixielee Roark

With great courage, dignity and grace - our beloved mother, grandmother, sister, aunt, and friend Dixie Roark died on June 4, 2024, after a brief time in hospice care.

Dixielee Frances (Rice) Roark was born on May 21, 1944, in Antigo, Wisconsin. She was the daughter of Herb Rice of Antigo, WI and Hazel (Holeton) Kester of Grafton, WI.

Dixie's work ethic was unmatched. She often worked 2 or 3 jobs at a time to support her family. She said repeatedly "I will work until they tell me I can't come in anymore" and that she did. After 35 years at O'Guinn/Lumident dental lab, she had to finally retire due to health issues at the young age 76! Dixie took such immense pride in a hard day's work and was frequently the first to arrive and the last to leave. As the "Work Mom" of the lab, Dixie developed deep friendships and touched many lives over the years.

Dixie never met a casino she didn't like. She absolutely treasured her trips to WI to see her sister Yvonne to make their usual casino rounds testing their luck. Many special family reunion memories were had in Las Vegas with Dixie and her sisters cackling like schoolgirls over their silly shenanigans.

Dixie loved to serve others with food and was known for her cheesecake, crab salad and of course, her pork chops with mushroom gravy. Every year she looked forward to serving her coworkers a special Thanksgiving meal which expanded to quite the crowd near the end of her tenure at Lumident. She got such enjoyment out of the planning, prepping and watching her coworkers enjoy her tasty fare. You could request the recipe, but good luck as she would add a bit of this and a pinch of that. Ingredients and amounts were merely suggestions.

Dixie felt tremendously blessed to have two wonderful children and their caring spouses, Bryan (Toni) Roark of Mooresville, Indiana and Tina (Chris) Butler of Grand Haven, Michigan. She felt even more fortunate to have five amazing grandchildren, Corey (Mekenzie) Roark, Tyler Roark, Reid Butler (Maya Marsman), Reilly Lattig-Butler (Jeremy Lattig), and Ford Butler (Kelsey VanDyke). Her rambunctious, but oh-so very charming great-grandsons Brentlee, Ayden and Oakley also brought Dixie immense pride & joy.

Dixie is also survived by her sister Yvonne Nye of Milwaukee, brother Jim (Susie) Rice of Green Valley, AZ, brother Rick (Emma) Rice of Youngstown, GA and many nieces and nephews who were special to her. She was preceded in death by both her parents and her sister Nancy (Mike) Parsells of Henderson, NV.

As Dixie was spending her final days, the family was amazed to see the outpouring of people whom said their lives had changed having known her. We had always known her to be supremely selfless and caring. That selflessness stretched far beyond her family and into her personal and work relationships. It seemed no one escaped Dixie's genuine kindness as she was truly invested in those around her. If you knew her, she would surely shower you with care, provide sage advice (sometimes of the tough love variety), and/or send you a card from her vast Dollar Tree stash. We should all learn from her example. Dixie's family takes great comfort in knowing her work ethic, empathy and kindness live on through her grandchildren. No doubt heaven has gained another angel.

In true Dixie fashion of not wanting to shine a light on herself, she was adamant about no funeral or tears shed; therefore, the family will be holding a private celebration of life at a later date.