Marion Esther Dixon Mecham, beloved wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother died of old age at home April 21, 2015, one day shy of her 102nd birthday. She was born on 3rd East in Salt Lake City, April 22, 1913; the first daughter of George A. and Mary McKeever Dixon. As a child she often recalled how she lived in a home with a coal stove, ice box on the front porch, and a cellar. In the evenings she looked forward to seeing her father swing off the streetcar with a metal basket filled with bottles of milk. During the World Series, she took the streetcar down to the Tribune Building on Main Street to join the crowd listening to the broadcast. Games were broadcast over a loud speaker and lights mounted on a board shaped like a baseball diamond lit-up to show the position of runners on base. She remembered anxiously standing in a field with her father waiting for Lindberg to fly over Salt Lake. She witnessed the destruction of life brought on by the influenza epidemic and the goodness of a compassionate mother to help those left behind.
Her life spanned a century, unlike any other, which featured more technological and attendant economic and cultural change than all recorded previous centuries combined.
Marion graduated from LDS High School in 1930. After high school she attended the University of Utah, joined Kappa Kappa Gamma Sorority, and graduated in 1935 with a B.A. degree. Soon after graduation she traveled by train to Washington D.C. intent on finding a job. She found a job, but more importantly, she found a husband. A blind date with Allan Mecham, who worked at the Department of Agriculture and attended law school in the evenings, culminated in their marriage June 5, 1936. Three months later their marriage was solemnized in the Salt Lake Temple.
After the arrival of her first child in 1939, being a mother and homemaker became supremely important. Marion loved raising her children; despite their foibles, problems and often rebellious nature. She gathered her family every Sunday to a beautifully set table where the competition was on for who could get the last piece of her rhubarb or lemon meringue pie, or her unequalled Pavlova. In later years, she relished gatherings, celebrations and summer vacations with her children and grandchildren. Family really provided her with comfort and a sense of accomplishment and great joy.
Membership in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints played a central role in Marion's life. Being an accomplished pianist, she was first called to serve as the Sunday School pianist in her ward at age 15. Subsequently, she served in various callings in several wards and stakes in the Relief Society, Young Women, and Primary, but her favorite assignment was teaching the gospel of Jesus Christ. Marion's compassionate service was best known among her family and neighbors, but it reached into the community as well. Volunteering at the Salt Lake City Blind Center as a driver, reader, and pianist, brought her much joy as well as serving as a guide at the LDS Church Office Building.
Learning was a lifetime project. She adored books, was an inveterate reader, followed politics, loved music, history, genealogy, travel with her husband, seeing and learning about new places, visiting museums, and art galleries. She adored flowers; especially roses and spent hours in her garden. Always a gracious hostess, she took delight in inviting guests and family into her home. She loved all things beautiful and exemplified the cultural refinement that she taught. Marion's legacy is characterized by her love of family, unwavering faith in the principles of her Savior, and service to others. Mom we love you.
She was preceded in death by her husband, brother Glen T. Dixon and sister Ruth D. Jenkins. Survived by children George M. Mecham, Craig W. (Marianne) Mecham, Allan D. (Sherry) Mecham, and Rosemary (Donald) Schaub all of Salt Lake City; 11 special and beloved grandchildren; James K Mecham, Andrea Daynes, Elizabeth Nielsen, Allan K Mecham, Andrew R. Mecham, Meg Lewis, Amy Gardner, David Mecham, Jonathan A. Lerwill, Mary-Cristina Schaub, Sarah Lowe and 26 adored great grandchildren. Funeral services will be held Monday April 27 at 12:00 noon at Parley's 5th Ward, 2615 Stringham Avenue, Salt Lake City, Utah. Friends and family may visit at the ward one hour prior to services. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to LDS Humanitarian Services or the charity of your choice.
