Capt. Robert (Bob) Eugene Dixon, 87 of Springfield, took his final flight west and arrived heaven on schedule and with a classically smooth landing at 10:37pm, Thursday September 18, 2025, at his home surrounded by his family. He was born July 11, 1938, in a small wood frame home owned by his grandfather Fred Dixon on East Truitt Street in Dexter, Missouri to Ella Mae (McKee) and Clyde Curtis Dixon. He was the oldest of four brothers who preceded him in final rest, Kenneth Dale and wife Betty (Evans), Clyde Allen and wife Melinda (Gaines) who survives, and Darrell Ray.

After living a short time in Enfield, Illinois, until his father was drafted into the US Army during WWII, the family moved back to Dexter, where he entered first grade. After the war, they moved to a small farm west of town about a quarter mile south of Greenwood School where he and his brother Kenny attended and were often tasked with arriving early and lighting the pot belly stove on cold mornings. The family often attended church at nearby Sadler's Chapel.

After graduating Dexter High School and Southeast Missouri State College in Cape Girardeau, he entered the US Navy Flight Training Program in 1961. The Aviation Officer Cadet program allowed him to earn an officer commission just before he began flight training, and he was designated a Naval Aviator on August 14, 1962 when he received his Navy "Wings of Gold." He served in Maritime Patrol Squadron VP-24 based in Norfolk, Virginia, flying submarine patrol and shipping surveillance flights in the North Atlantic from Iceland to Cuba and in the Mediterranean from Gibraltar to Malta and Crete. After serving in the US Navy 5 years, he joined Trans World Airlines in February, 1966, where he served for almost 33 years until mandatory retirement on his 60th birthday in 1998.

He met his first wife Jeanette (Thistle) while training in Kansas City in early 1967 for his type rating on the Boeing 707.  He was drawn to her and her family by their faith. They married December 30, 1967, and settled in New Milford, Connecticut. Flying mostly international flights, he bid back to domestic operations in 1971 to be closer to home and for potential captain upgrading on the Boeing 727, which happened later on the 767, of which he was one of the early pilots. During a "rough and rocky" time while on a flight with a Pittsburgh layover, he read scripture through the night searching for answers to life challenges, and on the morning of December 7, 1974, through "agony and despair," he came to full faith in Jesus for the salvation of his soul. He was baptized soon after at the Blue Ridge Baptist Temple in Kansas City.

Five children were born to this union before they moved home to Missouri in 1980, and a sixth arrived two years later: Bob, Dana, Faith (still birth), Mary Beth, Laura Mae, and then Tom. He loved his children "beyond measure," and later referred to his grandchildren and great-grandchildren as his "wonderful earthly angels." In July, 1994, he and Jean divorced.

He first met his wife Kay (Lee) in December, 1997, and they dated cross-country until marrying in Gallup, New Mexico, August 3, 2004. Kay is respected and adored by everyone she meets, and he loved her dearly. In late 2007 when he was undergoing treatment for kidney problems, and Jean was in another wing of the hospital after a near fatal car wreck, Kay was tending to them both. This is one of many reasons the family views her as an amazing and loving saint. He once remarked, "I love her with an eternal love, beyond any explanation. Christ is my solid rock, and Kay is my earthly rock."

He is survived by five of his children and their mother Jean: Bob (Amanda) Dixon of Springfield, Dana (Steve) Jones of Niangua, Mary Beth (Michael) Harris of Rolla, Laura Mae McDonald of Cape Coral, FL and Tom (Nicole) Dixon of Niangua; his wife Kay and her sister Shu-I Su and husband Hao-Jan Su of Springfield, IL; her sister Jill Lee and husband William Chou of Taiwan, and her brother Kevin Lee and wife Rita of Gallup, NM; a sister-in-law, Melinda Dixon of Dexter, MO, many beloved cousins, nieces and nephews; twenty-one grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.

The family will receive friends on Monday, October 6th from 5-7pm at Gorman-Scharpf Funeral Home, 1947 E. Seminole in Springfield. A Celebration of Life will take place Tuesday, October 7th at 11:00am at Seminole Baptist Temple, 4221 S. National, with military honors and burial following at 1:00pm in the Missouri Veterans Cemetery, 5201 Southwood Road. In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to Seminole Baptist Temple, Springfield, MO. He was thankful for all God had done for him.

The service will be live streamed and can be viewed here .