Mary Ruby Dixon

Mary Ruby Avery Dixon, age 87, went to be with the Lord early Sunday morning March 30, 2025 in College Station, TX.

A celebration of life service will be held at New Hope Baptist Church in Cedar Park, TX on Friday April 25, 2025. The service will be at 1 pm, with a time of fellowship to follow at Cedar Park Recreation Center.

Mary was born December 15, 1937 in her parents’ home San Antonio, Texas. She grew up in the Boldtville area on her family’s ranch, where she went to school and helped tend the family store.

She graduated high school in 1955 from Brackenridge High School in San Antonio, TX and earned a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Texas in 1960. She married Hubert Hillyer Dixon on July 30, 1960 at First Presbyterian Church in San Antonio, Texas, and they located their first home in Pasadena, TX where Hubert was a football coach and teacher, and Mary was a kindergarten teacher.

In 1961, they had their first child, Rae Anne (DeBonville), and Mary moved to full-time motherhood and homemaking. After a short time in Temple, TX, their second child Russell was born in 1964 in San Antonio, TX. While in Temple, Mary worked as a lab technician at the Veterans Hospital. She loved that job and often talked of the adventures in the lab and what she learned from working there.

The family transitioned to Boerne, TX in 1966, where Mary taught first grade at Boerne Elementary and Hubert served as a football coach and athletic director at Boerne High School. A few years later, their third child, Stuart was born in the spring of 1971. This was a difficult time for their family, as Mary battled skin cancer and took daily care of both her children and her parents.

That fall, the family moved to the Universal City/Schertz, TX area. There, Mary taught kindergarten. While doing so, she attended Trinity University to gain a certification in kindergarten teaching. She later taught kindergarten at Schertz, one of the first public school kindergartens in the state of Texas. During this time, Hubert worked as a football and track coach, and later as Assistant Principal at Samuel Clemens High School.

In 1981, the family moved to Leander, TX, where Hubert served as a counselor at Leander High School. Mary took a few years off work to care for her mother and recover from several health issues. She then taught middle school in the Leander School District for the next 17 years until she retired in 1999. Mary and Hubert developed close friend relationships living in the Leander area that have lasted through the years. These friends have been extremely meaningful to their whole family.

Post-retirement Mary spent her time cheering for and championing her grandchildren—from hearing stories, to caring for them when they were sick, to attending every kind of sporting event, to band concerts, choir concerts, church and school plays, and everything in between. She was a passionate fan at all the games and always told her grandkids how good they did and how much she loved them. Many a sport official received clear advice from Mary on how to call the games better, especially if it pertained to her grandkids.

She enjoyed travelling nationally and internationally with Hubert, her sister Martha and husband Bob, and many other friends and family. Some highlights for her were many trips to Colorado to camp, ski, and visit family. She also loved their family vacation to Cancun, a Viking river cruise from Paris to Normandy with Martha and Bob, a week in Hawaii with Rae Anne and her family, a trip to Canada, and two trips to Alaska to fish, camp, and attend family events.

Mary was extremely passionate about her family. She was adamant about connection and amazing food was never in shortage. She made the time and effort to ensure family gatherings with both immediate and extended family. Anyone in the family will be quick to remember a host of gatherings at the lake house in Kingsland, TX where there was always tons of food, laughter, fishing, and meaningful conversation. Her siblings and nieces, in particular, speak of her caring heart and amazing capacity to listen and love them well. The family also remembers many Christmas gatherings—whether at home, in San Antonio, or Colorado. She hosted a million birthday parties, 4th of July gatherings, and every Thanksgiving whipped up some of her famous pecan pie and mac-n-cheese for whoever arrived to gather.

She is survived by her loving husband Hubert (89, College Station), her daughter Rae Anne DeBonville (Mark), her son Russell Dixon (Becky), and her son Stuart Dixon (Marlene), 6 grandsons- Alex, Thomas, Ray, Garrett, Justin, and Cody, and 2 granddaughters—Madelynn and Avery. She is preceded in death by her brother Ed Avery and sister Martha LeBounty.

She will be most remembered for her strong Christian faith, her devotion to her family, and her love for all her students. She will also be remembered for her passion for the University of Texas and her beloved Longhorns. Hook ‘em Horns.