Rest in Piece Dixie Carter

I will miss my friend Dixie Carter. Dixie, best known for her liberal spitfire role on Designing Women in the 80’s and early 90’s passed away on Saturday from complications from cancer while in Houston. I first met Dixie in the mid 90’s and was first struck by her graciousness. She was not the liberal dynamo she portrayed on television. To the contrary, she was a registered republican but had libertarian views. She was a great supporter of gay rights. We remained friends for years and although we had not spoken in a while, I will always remember the time we had together and some of the wonderful talks we shared. She gave me strength to realize I too could write a book and later on I did. She published a book entitled “Trying to Get to Heaven: Opinions of a Tennessee Talker” in the mid-90’s. It is a wonderful book that tells a lot about her life and views on health, family and career. It is available at Amazon.

I’ll never forget the day we met. We went to an event where she was doing an appearance. I told her about my playing the DW episode of her singing “How Great Thou Art” for my grandmother, as that was one of her favorite songs. She told me that she watched that episode for the first time in the hospital with her mother right before she died. We were both in tears at the end of the chat. She later invited us to come to New York and be her guest at her annual appearance at the Carlisle Hotel where she did a wonderful cabaret act. I did an event for her in 1999 and we remained friends.

My sincere condolences to Hal, her daughters, Mary Dixie and Ginna and all of her other family and friends.

The world was a better place with her in it and she will be greatly missed by all!
Donnie