Carlene Alva Dixon

Carlene Dixon, daughter of Alva and Harry Engelhard, returned home on February 21, 2013 at the age of 55. Born on December 12, 1957 Carlene spent her early years in Florida, Georgia and abroad with her mother. A wanderer at heart, she traveled the country with her family before moving to Virginia to attend college. Carlene graduated in 1988 from George Washington University with degrees in Political Science and Women's Studies but her passion was to teach others to embrace learning themselves. She taught at Central Carolina Community College in their continuing education programs, championed the distance-learning initiative and improved the lives of many students, parents and faculty with her unique approaches to both learning and teaching. She and her husband, Doug, also brought this same care and passion to fostering children for many years. She always strived to make the lives of others better and was a strong advocate for the children in her care. In addition to teaching and fostering, Carlene was an avid learner who read constantly, an artisan of scents and a lover of animals. She is survived by her soul mate and husband Douglas Dixon, son Shawn and daughter-in-law Tia and many others whose lives were touched by her. A memorial service will be held Saturday, February 23, 2013 at 4:00 PM at Smith & Buckner Funeral Home Chapel, 230 North Second Avenue, Siler City, NC 27344 . For anyone that wishes to contribute, donations may be made, on her behalf to: Chatham Animal Rescue & Education, Inc., P O Box 610, Pittsboro, NC 27312 or related agencies in your areas. Online condolences may be made at www.pughfuneralhome.com.