A Team Says Goodbye
 

The teammates, players, officers, coaches and volunteers of Parker Youth, Inc. express their sympathy to the Dixey family. In addition to retiring #11, they presented the Dixey family with a plaque inscribed as follows:

Click on thumbnail for larger picture of plaque.

A Tribute to Dillon and Logan
    

For the Love of "The Game"
New "field of dreams" will keep alive loving memory of lost sons for Parker Dentist and family
Article courtesy of Michelle Cunningham, Metropolitan Denver Dental Society Newsletter, October/ November 2000, Volume 6, Issue 4

After graduating from Louisiana State University, School of Dentistry, Kenneth Dixey, DDS moved to Parker, Colorado in early 1981 to start his dental practice. He and his wife, Bambi, managed to build a very successful dental practice while concentrating on raising a family of four vivacious, athletic sons. All four Dixey children had a love for baseball and participated at every level from the Parker Hawks to Regis High School.

Very active in church, school, community and business activities, the family has earned the reputation of "really, really good people." Unfortunately, bad things sometimes happen to "really, really good people."

On Wednesday, August 2, 2000 a tragic accident took the lives of the two youngest of Dr. Kenneth and Bambi Dixey's children. While taking an evening swim during the annual family vacation at Lake Powell, Utah, Dillon Paul Dixey, 11 and Logan Michael Dixey, 8 lost consciousness and drowned after breathing carbon monoxide fumes from a houseboat generator. Witnesses lost sight of the boys after they swam underneath the rear swim deck, where investigators believe the heavy carbon monoxide fumes that overcame the boys were trapped.

A tragedy of this magnitude is hard for many of us to imagine. In the immediate aftermath of the flurry of flowers, stacks of sympathy cards, the assortment of heartfelt memorial services, when the mourners have said the last good-byes, the ones who are cut deepest by the loss are left with only memories, faith, and life-altering change. What you choose to do with those things can make all the difference.

The Dixey's wasted no time in gathering up their memories and faith, having turned them into a source of renewed strength with the creation of the Double Angel Foundation. In loving memory of Dillon and Logan, the family has established an organization dedicated to giving other children the opportunity to pursue their passion for baseball.

The Dixey's know the power of baseball first-hand. From dressing in their baseball uniforms hours before game time, to rushing to get the morning paper to find out the latest baseball stats, win or lose their boys loved the game. The camaraderie, sportsmanship, self-esteem, work ethic, and citizenship that baseball affords children on the playing field also carries over into life off the field. The Dixey's dream is to foster the same excitement, dedication and fundamental life skills in the children that will play on the recreational youth ballpark they are striving to build.

The foundation will be responsible for constructing a four-plex baseball park in Parker, complete with covered, sunken dugouts, announcer's box, grass in-fields (Dillon loved grass in-fields), a scoreboard, lighting... a field of dreams. There will be one field named after each of the four Dixey children. Each field will be age and height appropriate to the ages of the children in the year 2000 (Cole age 16, Connor age 13, Dillon age 11, Logan age 8). "Over the years, we must have gone to a thousand games," said Dr. Dixey, "So many were far away. The kids here could really use something like this."

After the initial phase of building the field, the foundation's efforts will turn to developing programs and events for children from all walks of life, including inner city and special needs children. Baseball scholarships will eventually become part of the plan.

The first challenge in hurdling this project is securing land. The Foundation is currently looking for land in Parker (at least 15 to 20 acres) on which to construct the facility. After an appropriate location is determined and secured, there will be much work to follow.

The Foundation is hoping to have everything donated for the construction of the field in order to concentrate on funding of ongoing operations, programs and administration. They need everything from landscaping, construction, lighting, electrical work, plumbing, design, excavating, anything baseball related, monetary donations to volunteers who would like to give whatever they can to the cause.

Spearheading this operation requires an unrelenting amount of time, energy and talent. The Dixey's are certainly not at a loss for those things with the spirit of Dillon and Logan in their hearts. In fact, Dr. Dixey returned to his dental practice in mid-September. He would like to express his deepest appreciation to Dr. Lynda Berman and Dr. Rob Mullins, who had been keeping his Parker practice open five days a week during the tragedy's aftermath. He would also like to thank all the dentists who generously offered to lend a helping hand during the initial ordeal. Most of all, the Dixey's would like to extend their gratitude to the staff at their dental office and to those who have already made contributions.