Derry, NH- Herbert S. Dixon, 85 of Dixon’s Grove, Derry, NH and Largo FL, died Saturday, August 16, 2008, in Hampton, NH with his family by his side.
Born in Methuen, MA on May 30, 1923, he was the son of Herbert S. and Alice (May) Dixon. He graduated from Searles High School in Methuen, class of 1941 and from Northeastern University in 1948 with a degree in Engineering. He spent 85 summers at Dixon’s Grove on Big Island Pond in Derry, NH where he served on the lake’s Board of Directors for many years. He is a former member of St. Andrews Episcopal Church in Methuen.
During World War II, as a 2nd Lieutenant in the United States Army Air Corps, he flew 65 combat missions with the 374th Fighter Squadron. Part of the famous “Yellow Jackets”, his missions over England, France, Belgium and Germany, flying P51 Mustangs, included Arnheim Airborne Operation, Market Garden , Remargen Bridge Crossing and the Battle of the Bulge. He retired in 1967 from the Air National Guard, holding rank of Lt. Colonel.
In 1951 he joined General Electric as an engineer and moved with his family from Massachusetts to Maine and then Virginia. In 1963, as a pioneer in the development and manufacturing of flexible circuit boards, he co-founded Electro Mechanisms in Methuen, MA, and later Nashua and Hudson, NH. He holds several US patents for his designs- utilized by both the United States Military and the Space4 program. In 1989, he retired from Teledyne Electro Mechanisms as the company president.
He is the widower of Ethel (McGrath) Dixon, his high school sweetheart and wife of 59 years. He is survived by his four children; Thomas H. Dixon of Huntersville, NC, his daughters Christine (Biery) Dixon of Exeter, NH, Dorothy J. Dixon and her husband Thomas Bley of Lincolnton, NC, Barbara E. Cohoon and her husband Capt. John E. Cohoon, USN Ret., of Alexandria, VA; seven grandchildren; Jana Biery, Kara (Biery) Martin and her husband Dale, Christopher, Thomas and Sarah Dixon, and Andrew and Marshall Cohoon. He also leaves eight great grandchildren, his nephew, William Dixon of Bradford, MA, several cousins and many friends.
ARRANGEMENTS: Family and friends may call on Friday, September 5th from 4:00p.m. – 8:00pm at the Kenneth H. Pollard Funeral Home 233 Lawrence St. Methuen. A Funeral Service will take place on Saturday at 10:00am at St. Andrews Episcopal Church, on Broadway in Methuen with burial to follow in Elmwood Cemetery also in Methuen. In Lieu of flowers and in honor of Herb’s love of his pets, the family requests that donations be made in his honor to the NHSPCA, 104 Portsmouth Ave., Stratham, NH 03885 or to SolAmour Hospice, 65 Lafayette Road #302, N. Hampton, NH 03862.