Dixie L. VanBooven, age 96, of Gilliam, passed peacefully into heaven on Friday, August 6, 2021 at Big Bend Retreat in Slater, one week shy of her 97th birthday.

Per her request, no services will be held. Inurnment will be in the Gilliam Cemetery. Memorials are suggested to the Slater United Methodist Church or Big Bend Retreat in care of Weiker Funeral Home in Slater.

Born August 14, 1924 in Slater, she was the daughter of the late Wilbur and Mabel Grimes Hains. On September 23, 1941 in Warrensburg, she married J.F. VanBooven, and he preceded her in death on May 10, 2001.

She is survived by her daughter, Dee Ann Costello; two granddaughters, Tiffany Turnage and her husband Scott, and Sasha Blackburn and her husband Todd; and her four grandchildren, Lance, Dresden, Fischer, and Sawyer, all of whom reside in the Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas area.

J.F. and Dixie were born and raised on neighboring farms in the Gilliam area, and after one year of courtship, were married in 1941.  Their early years together represented a simple, but happy life, as they worked side by side to eke out a living on eighty acres; milking cows and raising chickens and a few hogs.  Extravagance in those days was being able to go to the show for a dime on Saturdays.  J.F. and Dixie loved to travel, especially in their motorhome, which included a trip all the way into Alaska.  After J.F.’s death, Dixie was fortunate enough to continue traveling with her family to such destinations as New York and Chicago.

Dixie enjoyed robust health until the last years, enabling her to live independently on the farm.  Less than ten years ago, during a severe winter storm, she lost power.  Undeterred, she merely relocated to the basement, where she kept the fireplace going, and rebuffed offers of neighbors and friends who wanted to come pick her up and have her ride out the storm in their homes.  She played a mean game of Rummikub until her eyesight began failing her in the last few years, when she moved to Big Bend Retreat in Slater.  She was a long-time member of the Slater United Methodist Church, where she held numerous offices and helped with funeral luncheons.

The family would like to thank the staff of Big Bend Retreat for their fine care, but most of all, wishes to thank Darla, wife of Dixie’s nephew Clay, who provided loving care to Dixie over the past couple of years.