Mrs. Mary Ellen Finley Dixon, 95

Mrs. Mary Ellen Finley Dixon, 95, of Bryan, Texas, passed away peacefully at home Jan. 23.
She is survived by her children Maya Dixon (Gary), James Dixon (Lanore), Tana Ryan, Dawn Gaston (Bill) and Toby Dixon (Cynthia); sister Martha and brothers Arley and Art; 11 grandchildren; and 21 great-grandchildren.
She is preceded in death by her husband Dr. James R. Dixon, parents Arley and Madelyn Finley, and brothers and sisters Grace, Madelyn, Joe, Bob and Betty. Mary Ellen was born in Hazlehurst Feb. 15, 1930, lived in Georgia during her childhood, and spent the last 59 years in Bryan, Texas.
A gifted artist who traveled the world with her husband Jim, Mary chronicled her adventures as the wife of a herpetologist with hundreds of comical caricatures. She lived by example with family-centered values and a kind-hearted, good-humored nature. Anyone who met her, including members of her church community, Jim’s graduate students at Texas A&M, quickly came to love her. Mary lived her faith in Jesus Christ at home, at First Baptist Church of College Station, and in her world travels. As a Christian, Mary welcomed all she met into her life, and was quick to forge friendships.
Mary lived up to a good challenge, be it a jar of snakes Jim placed in her lap on their first date, a competitive game of tennis or bowling, or a good game of Dominoes or Gin Rummy. She was such a dedicated sport that in 1985, Jim named a species of snake after her (Maryellen’s Ground Snake, Erythrolamprus maryellenae).
Mary earned her B.S. degree in Home Economics from University of Georgia (1951), then met and married Jim in Costa Mesa, Calif., in 1953. Until Jim’s death in 2015, the two were inseparable. After Jim passed, Mary lived a quiet life but continued to set an example as a good-natured, kind human who was quick to love others just as they were quick to love her.
Mary was not only a passionate artist but a champion of those who followed their dreams, be it in the sciences, art or in pursuit of faith. She is remembered as a loving and supportive mother and a gracious woman. Her legacy will continue through her family and found family.
Mary’s memorial service will be held at a to-be-determined date at First Baptist Church of College Station, Texas, at 2300 Welsh Street.