Ronald Oscar “Hammer” Dixon, Sr.

A memorial service for Ronald Oscar “Hammer” Dixon, Sr., 81, West Plains, Missouri, will be held at 2:00 p.m., Saturday, March 7, 2026, at First Church of God, under the direction of Robertson-Drago Funeral Home.

Mr. Dixon passed away on the morning of February 27, 2026 at his home, after a battle with cancer.

He was born on September 4, 1944, in Springfield, Missouri, to Oscar Henry Dixon and Helen (Kerr) Dixon.  Ron graduated from West Plains High School in 1962.  He then joined the United States Navy where he was a torpedo-man on a nuclear submarine following the Cuban Missile Crisis.  After the Navy, he decided on a career as a dental technician, ultimately co-founding the Dixon Dental Laboratory, where he worked until November 26, 2025 when his health failed.  He spent 55 years in a career that he loved.

Ron had a strong faith in Jesus Christ.  He was baptized at the age of 13 at Langston Street Church of God.  In his 20s he was gifted with a miracle and was healed from Hodgkin’s disease.

While in the Navy he met and married Clara Hoban and to this union three children were born.  Later he married Olivia Holden, adding a son to complete his family.

He is survived by his spouse and a very large extended family:  Children, Ron Dixon, Jr. (Wendy), Keith Dixon, Coreena Butts (Bradley) and Clint Elam (Candi).  Grandchildren, Garrett McKee, Hannah Black, Julianne Jolley, Zach Dixon, Derrick Dixon and Alexa Dixon; great-grandchildren, Addy, Luke, Emma, Theo, Zeke, Beckham, Maren, Crimson and Harlow; sister, Charlotte Cochran (David); sisters-in-law, Pat Dixon and Elaine Harris; brother-in-law, Herbert Holden (Maria); and adopted family, Chris, De, Lesa and Clayton Steen; many nieces and nephews; and many close friends, fishing buddies and hunting partners.

His parents, one brother, George Dixon, mother-in-law, Effie Holden and brother-in-law, Ralph Harris, preceded him in death.

Ron enjoyed life, especially his family and friends, and most of all Jesus Christ.  Over his lifetime he enjoyed bass fishing, fly fishing, deer hunting, trips to Colorado, photography, fly tying and rod making, camping, boating, waterskiing, quail hunting, archery, gardening, seed saving, coaching little league baseball, and was a boy scout leader.  He was an active member of The Heart of the Ozarks Quail Forever chapter.  When he raised his children, he always took their friends along on trips, becoming a mentor to many.  Ron never met a stranger and will be greatly missed.

Memorial contributions may be made to West Plains First Church of God Financial Assistance Fund or the Pregnancy Resource Center of West Plains, and may be left at or mailed to Robertson-Drago Funeral Home, 211 W. Main St., West Plains, Missouri.