OBITUARY –

Patricia Claire Donahue Dixon beloved wife, mother, sister, grandmother and friend returned to her father in heaven on Saturday March 14, 2026. She was at home surrounded by her family and loved ones.

Services for Pat will be held at 11 am on Saturday March 21st at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints Chapel, 515 S Union St, Kennewick, WA 99336. At 10 am family and friends will gather prior to the funeral.

Pat was born September 21, 1935 to Alfred Bernard Donahue and Georgia Levada Jordan Donahue in Seattle, Washington. She graduated from Kennewick High School in 1953 and has been very involved in class gatherings. She attended Whitman College and then University of Washington where she got a B.A. in Music Education.

Pat married her sweetheart Patrick Gramling in June of 1957. They welcomed three daughters, Michelle, Cynthia and Lisa. Patrick was killed in an accident in April of 1961. Patricia spent time in Florida with her brother and his family, then returned to the Nicoson Ranch with her girls.

In 1963 she met Fred Dixon when they were cast opposite each other in RLOC's "The Music Man." The romance blossomed on stage as well as in real life and they were married July 11, 1964. Fred became her leading man and the father of four lovely daughters. They added Julie to the family in December, 1967.

Pat and Fred went to New York City to Honeymoon and attend the Worlds Fair. The Broadway Theater became an annual event for them.

Pat worked as a music educator in the Kennewick School District for 27 years. She taught music at Edison Elementary where Julie attend Kindergarten with her. She also started teaching in 1975 at her Alma Mater Kennewick High School. This was a goal she had from the time she graduated from University of Washington.

While at Kennewick High she spent a lot of time planning concerts and traveling to music festivals with the Mad Hatters and Concert Choirs. Pat liked to attend the home football games at Kennewick High even though her daughters all attended Kamiakin High. She also taught at Hawthorne Elementary and retired from Sunset View Elementary. She enjoyed creating and presenting Music Programs with the Elementary students.

She performed on stage with Master Singers, the Richland Players, Music Comedy Theater, The Mid-Columbia Symphony and Concert Series. Mom sang, played the organ and the piano and enjoyed selecting music for the choir to sing in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. She directed the church choir and accompanied soloists. Pat and Fred enjoyed being on stage and performing together.

Pat had a large group at Thanksgiving each year with up to 30 family and friends . She loved having her home filled with Family. Mom had an enthusiasm for life and participated in many activities that kept her life interesting. She loved spending time with her family and cherished time with her grandchildren.

Pat and Fred had a lifetime of honeymoons exploring Europe, the beaches of Hawaii, East Hampton, Mexico and also cruised the Caribbean and the Panama Canal with friends. They flew to London, traveled through France, Belgium and Switzerland. They visited the places where Fred had served his mission.

Their summer travels always included a trip to Provo Utah to visit with Fred's parents Buck and Helen Dixon and lots of Dixon Cousins. They made a New York trip each summer to watch the latest Broadway Plays. One of their most memorable New York trips was in 2007 when Fred was nominated as 'Broadway's Biggest Fan'. He won a free trip to New York and Fred and Pat sat on stage in Times Square watching the performances of the current Broadway shows. It was the thrill of a lifetime.

At home their lives centered around their family, church and the community theater schedule. Pat was a dedicated member of the Highlands Ward of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and enjoyed her Ward family and many friends she met over the years.