Apr. 1—HENDERSON — Naomi Dixon’s parents — Rev. Robert Kerr and Vandalia Kerr of Sampson County — always instilled in her to do the best in whatever she did — and put God first.

Dixon has taken that lesson to heart, if her 58 years of service to Cotton Memorial Presbyterian Church are any indication.

April 30 is her 100th birthday. For the occasion, her daughter Sandra Dixon, is planning a big celebration at Vance Granville Community College’s Civic Center on April 6.

Born in 1924, Dixon earned a bachelor’s degree in education from Fayetteville State University. She went on to teach home economics in Hoffman and served Waynesboro Elementary School down in Georgia as its principal.

Dixon moved to Vance County near 1950 with her husband, Eugene Dixon, when he secured a job at the storied Henderson Institute. She taught at Kittrell Graded School, then Zeb Vance Elementary over a 37-year career.

During her time with Cotton Memorial, Dixon has served as a trustee, deacon, elder and a teacher for its Sunday school, vacation Bible school and women’s Bible study programs.

She was the chairman of the evangelism and outreach committees, as well, for which she delivered school supplies and clothes to a local middle school.

Dixon also worked with the outreach ministry to help children at the church journey to Haiti, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, New York and Florida. During one trip to Atlanta, Georgia, they paid a visit to Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s Ebenezer Baptist Church and his gravesite.

Her support for the adult praise dance ministry earned Dixon the moniker “Mother” of the group. A longtime choir member — adding her soprano to the group and once singing for elderly folks at the senior center — Dixon has also volunteered for the church’s food and clothing pantries.

It’s those sorts of things that make her daughter, Sandra Dixon, describe her as a “very loving, nurturing, caring and giving person.”

“She loves people from zero to a hundred plus,” said Sandra. “One of her quotes about her key to a hundred is, ‘Put God first, listen to him and keep it moving.’ “

Her faith is important to her. Sandra recalled one incident that affirmed her faith — during a vacation to Myrtle Beach, they switched rooms and later, while they were touring around, they saw a tornado destroy their old room.

The Dixons have a family tradition of passing down one important lesson — treating others with love, care and respect. Naomi’s parents taught her that, and she passed it down to Sandra and her former students. Sandra became a counselor at Durham Public Schools, where she taught that lesson to her students, too.

Treating others with love always comes back to you, said Sandra. That can be a hard thing for young people to believe, especially if they’re being bullied, but it’s true nonetheless. Her former students still recognize her when she visits Durham.

Sandra thanked her three adopted brothers Leon Hargrove, Sam Smith and Byron Johnson, who all live in Henderson, and Kimberly Butler, her adopted sister. Naomi’s other adopted children will be celebrating her birthday this weekend.

As mentioned, Sandra is planning a big celebration on April 6, with help from friends and family. They and former students, all from as far as Florida and Texas, will be celebrating her birthday a few weeks early, this Saturday, at VGCC’s Civic Center at 1 p.m.