Dr. John Leslie Dixon, Ph.D., 87, of the Houston area, died on March 28, 2018 at St. David's North Austin Medical Center surrounded by four of his seven children. Dr. Dixon was born on July 15, 1930 in Douglas, Arizona. He was the second of six siblings born to Joseph and Mary (Irvine) Dixon, including an identical twin, Robert.

As his title attests, John Dixon was a highly educated man. He began his educational journey with two undergraduate degrees, mechanical and electrical engineering, from Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas after a stint in the U.S. Air Force, which he joined upon graduation from St. Mary's High School in Port Arthur, Texas. He took graduate courses at both Texas A&M and the University of West Virginia, then received both his masters and Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville.

Some of his work projects included, working on B-52 bombers at IBM, working for DuPont, teaching engineering at Tennessee Tech University, working in the aerospace industry on the Apollo space flight program at the Huntsville Space Center in Huntsville, Alabama, and the space shuttle program at the Johnson Space Center, in Houston, Texas. In the early 70s he worked in southern California for Litton Industries and MCA, an early developer of digital video disc technology.

John married Marguerite Halstead in Charleston, WV on December 26, 1959. The couple had seven children. He was a loving husband and father who enjoyed laughing and playing with his children, taking them on camping trips, and to national parks and historic sites. He also delighted his children whenever he demonstrated his fancy dives from his days as a competitive high diver.

John is preceded in death by his wife, Marguerite, and by his siblings, Robert, Thomas, William and Patricia. He is survived by his sister Mary Lou Jarret, his children, Stephen, Philip, Celeste, Paula, Jerome, Marijo and Albert, his granddaughters, Lindsey Soliz and Caroline Dixon, and his great-grandson, Jamie White.

John was a lifelong, devout member of the Catholic faith. He was a member of the Knights of Columbus, a Catholic fraternal organization, for years and said the rosary daily.

In lieu of flowers donations can be made to: Catholic Charities USA or Brain and Behavior Research Foundation.

Visitation will be Tuesday, April 10, 2018 from 5-7 pm followed by Rosary at 7pm at Canon Funeral Home. Funeral Services will be Wednesday, April 11, 2018 at 11am at St. Anne's Catholic Church, 1111 S. Cherry St., Tomball, TX 77375 with Father Tom Rafferty officiating. Interment will be at Houston National Cemetery.