JOAN DIXON

Joan McVoy Dixon was born November 26, 1932 in a Utica hospital, the daughter of Kenneth and Rachel Coon McVoy.

After graduating from Poland Central School she attended Plattsburgh State Teachers’

College for a year. During her high school years she was a notable horsewoman. While belonging to the Herkimer Riding Club she participated in a horse show almost every weekend winning many trophies and ribbons.

She worked at the Northern Lumber Company in Poland for a year until she married Don Dixon in 1953. They have three daughters, Dawn Dixon, Linda Bilodeau, and Laura Olender and four grandchildren.

The only time Joan has lived out of the Town was during her early years of marriage. She and Don spent two years at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, almost two years in Baltimore, Maryland, and then two years in Holland Patent.

They moved back to the Town of Russia in 1958 to raise their family. In 1965 they built their house on Route 28 where they still reside.

Though busy as a housewife and mother Joan has always been very active in the Poland Baptist Church and the community. As a member of the church’s M & M Group she has helped at many a soup supper on Election Day. She presently sings in the church choir. She has been a member of the Poland Civic Club and the Friends of the Poland Library and was at one time a Girl Scout leader. She enjoyed making floats for several parades while she was on the Poland Centennial Committee in 1990. She is also enthusiastically involved in the Kuyahoora Historical Society, Food Pantry, Kuyahoora Senior Citizens, and the Kuyahoora Minutemen.

As a member of the Kanata Garden Club Joan helps maintain the club’s portion of Route 28 through the "Adopt a Highway" program. The garden Club also plants flowers at the Poland Library, the Town of Russia’s Municipal Building, and at various public buildings in the Barneveld and Prospect area.

Joan is well-known for her cooking, donating to many bake sales and preparing food for ill or bereaved friends and neighbors. She is also often seen as a spectator at school events cheering on her grandson and granddaughter.

One of the enjoyments of living in the Town is being able to take walks on the street, play ball, and just enjoy the simplest pleasures residing in a relatively safe small Town. While she was growing up she was acquainted with everyone. It was nice attending PCS where you knew all the teachers and all of the kids. Growing up in Poland was carefree; you didn’t have to go far to have a good time. There was the movie theater and community hall on Poland’s Main Street, a bustling Youth Club at church, and several ball parks. Everyone went to Mrs. Eddy’s or Haskell’s for ice cream on the weekend. There was often a crowd sliding on Seidel’s Hill or playing in Bush Pasture.

Joan feels that there are "too many rules, but the Town is still a great place to raise children." Her advice is "Keep it simple. Don’t let life get too complicated."

Joan Dixon is a quiet giver and a dependable volunteer who as an exemplary caring neighbor has helped make the Town of Russia a great place to live and raise children.