Dixie Jean Daniels

Dixie Jean Daniels, age 96, passed away on March 25, 2025, in Ferndale, WA.

Dixie was born on September 26, 1928, in Sultan, WA to parents Wade Bonine and Evelyn Ward Bonine.

She married Shirley Daniels, Sr. on November 7, 1947, in Sultan, and their son Shirley “Dan” Jr was born in October the following year. Their second son, Hugh, was born in March of 1951. In Spring of 1953, Shirley and Dixie moved the family to Deming, and in August of that year their third son, Brian, was born. In April 1957, they announced the birth of "my dear and darling daughter," Cynthia, and son James was born in April of 1964. Dixie had a big heart and took in three foster children in addition to raising five kids of her own.

Her greatest joy was entertaining family, friends, and Shirley's co-workers. In the summers, outdoor parties were held where homemade ice cream made from cream and eggs from the family farm was always the anticipated finish of the day.

Dixie’s faith was important to her, and she was always involved in the life of her church family. Starting at the Presbyterian Church in Deming, she served on committees and helped with fund raisers. She, along with Jean VanDyke, won a weekly cooking contest on a Seattle TV station, winning money for a church project. In 1959, the family made the decision to start attending Immanuel Lutheran at "Nugent's Corner" and were active members there for many years.

In 1980, after Shirley's retirement from the DNR, they sold the big house in Deming and moved to Bellingham. They transferred their membership to Christ the Servant Lutheran church, where, again, Dixie got involved in the life of the congregation, serving as Sacristan, among other activities. Somewhere in the mid-90s, they moved to Faith Lutheran church, where of course Dixie was involved in the congregation serving on committees. She remained a member of Faith for the remainder of her life.

Dixie worked most of her life as a waitress, starting out at a soda fountain in Aberdeen as a young teen, and continued serving customers in Bellingham and Deming for many years.

Dixie was an avid reader and especially liked history and historic novels. She often said that when she was engrossed in a book, "The house could collapse around me, and I wouldn't notice." She also loved to play Pinochle and Bridge and played several times a month up to the time she could no longer get to the venues.

Dixie was preceded in death by her husband Shirley; son Brian; parents Wade and Evelyn; four sisters; and two brothers.

She is survived by her children Shirley “Dan” Jr. (Andrea), Hugh (Ruth), Cindy (Jim) Kruger, and Jim; daughter-in-law Joleen Daniels; 13 grandchildren; 9 great-grandchildren; sister Rebecca Howry; and sister-in law Ena Totten (Storm).

A celebration of Dixie's life will be held at 11:00am on Saturday, May 3 at Faith Lutheran Church (2750 McLeod Rd, Bellingham).