Naperville Twp. assessor recalled for 'kindness and respect'
Honest. Responsible. Respectful.
Kind words are flowing in to describe longtime Naperville Township Assessor Warren L. Dixon Jr., who died Saturday at age 68 after a five-year battle with esophageal cancer.
Warren Dixon III said his family is being comforted by messages from many who knew his father during his 28 years as the township assessor and his years of coaching youth football and baseball in Naperville and Aurora.
One of the most fitting messages came from DuPage County Board member Jim Healy of Naperville, who called Dixon a decent, honest and responsible elected official who served with dignity, Dixon III said.
"He treated everyone he met with kindness and respect and he always stood up for his friends," Healy's message read.
Dixon Jr. was born Aug. 21, 1946, and grew up in Aurora, where he graduated from Marmion Academy. He served in the Navy in Vietnam and was a proud veteran who felt "a great duty to his country," his son said.
Dixon Jr. attended Southern Illinois University and North Central College and then went into real estate, following his parents' footsteps as a broker for the family business Dixon Realty. In the 1970s, he started Dixon Appraisal, and in 1976, he was hired as commercial fee appraiser for Naperville Township.
Eight years later, he ran for the elected position leading the assessor's office and won, taking the seat in 1985. He would remain as assessor until his son took office in 2013.
"He told me once you're only as good as your last report," Dixon III said. "He passed on that you have to be hardworking, honest and true; always be upright, value your friends and most of all your family and do things for the right reasons."
As assessor, Dixon Jr. took pride in explaining how properties are assessed and in doing so fairly, his son said. Outside of work, he enjoyed playing golf and cheering on Notre Dame football with his wife of 42 years, Katie, whom he met at a Notre Dame football game.
"He was always a fun guy, the one everyone wanted to be around, but he never compromised his values," Dixon III said.
As what his son called "a coach at heart," Dixon Jr. coached for Naperville Knights Youth football during the league's heyday, even when he didn't have a son on a team, said RG Javorek, director of operations.
Dixon Jr. leaves behind three children and five grandchildren.
Visitation will be from 2 to 7 p.m. Sunday at Friedrich-Jones Funeral Home, 44 S. Mill St., Naperville. A funeral Mass will be held at 9:30 a.m. Monday, Dec. 29, at Ss. Peter & Paul Catholic Church, 36 N. Ellsworth St., Naperville, with internment to follow at B.V.M. Cemetery in Aurora.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Naperville Responds For Our Veterans, 1111 S. Washington St., Naperville, 60540.