THORNDIKE — "Beginnings are usually scary, and endings are usually sad, but it's everything in between that makes it all worth living."

The 15 yearlong and raunchy feud on Knox Station Road with Mim ended in the wee hours of July 3, 2024 when Linda T. Dixon took her final breath. Her daughters Lisa and Lori and her favorite sister, Terrie, were with her when she went on to her next big adventure.

The world has lost her... and her extensive vocabulary complete with more profanity than most ever heard. Truthfully, some were her own originals. Especially her nicknames for her x-husbands. She loved 4 letter words as much as she loved her grandchildren. 

Born to Ernest and Ruby Tweedie on April 17, 1947, she graduated in 1965 from Mt View High School, tried her luck at marriage a few times and found she had better odds at the slots. Her best run was with Del, probably because he was willing to play Scrabble, took her fishing and could keep up with her on the dance floor. Tom Selleck was her only choice for a husband #4.

She had three daughters which she raised to be independent, capable and thrifty. It was the School of Hard Knocks with no self-pity allowed and her ever cheerful response “life is what you make it”. And she stood by that.

She was never afraid of hard work and held many jobs from picking eggs, digging graves, packing sardines, bookwork at The 10-4 Diner, opening her own bakery, cleaning jobs, writing a town news column for the Republican Journal, and buying and selling contents of storage units in her many yard sales she loved to have. 

An avid gardener with a notorious green thumb, she loved to plant a big garden and have big lawns to mow, especially when her daughters were young and unaware of slave labor being a thing. She loved to can and freeze everything she grew. 

Known for her opinions and the inability to keep them to herself, you always knew where you stood with her, and whether she liked you. She called a spade a spade. She was proud of that, too.

Since the 1950s she loved music and loved dancing even more. Rarely could a good tune come on without her bee-bopping to it, no matter where she was. Bob Seger’s Old Time Rock & Roll was a longtime favorite. A faithful patron to The Blue Goose, The 10-4, Puddle Dock, The Red Barn, Giordano’s, and a singles club or two. 

Linda loved to keep busy and over the years organized and led aerobics and line dancing classes, TOPS groups, being on the Thorndike Fire Department Auxiliary, volunteering at the food pantry, and was known for walking 5 miles every day, rain or shine, well into her 70s until she was unable to do so.

She thoroughly enjoyed Lord Calvert, listening to the scanner, and a good pile of fireworks no matter the time of year. Her grandchildren have great memories and stories of nights spent at Gram’s. We will never know all that went on over there.

The Morning Sentinel, Bangor Daily and Republican Journal have lost a decades long customer. 

Her greatest achievement was spending the last 17 years caring for Dustin, even through her chemo treatments. She put everything second to his needs and ensured that he would live his best life living with her. 

Her talents were many, from decorating cakes and cupcakes, knowing exactly how to decorate a room, the skill for finding the good stuff at Good Will, to packing more into a refrigerator than humanly possible.

Known for never throwing anything away, we are still searching for her famous F.O.A.D foam finger that she proudly and energetically waved out the window driving through Thorndike Village. The sheriff’s department can rest easy knowing there will be no future complaints called in. (Until we find it.)

Undoubtedly, she is annoyed not to be here for the election in November and anxiously waiting to see if her absentee vote will be received.

Linda did it her way. Every step of the way. For two years she grabbed cancer by the ass, did not let it lead, kept swinging it around until she was ready to leave the dance floor on her terms.

Predeceased by her first true love – her first born grandson, Austin J Grant; her parents, Ernest and Ruby Tweedie; grandparents Coburn and Flora Tweedie, and Donald and Gladys McLellan.

She is survived by daughters Lisa Reynolds, Lori Nason and husband Ron; grandchildren Dustin Tibbetts, Taylor (Maddie) and Halle Reynolds, Tanner (Logan) and Seth Grant (Alice), Lincoln Tibbetts, Alan Gibbs Jr, and Lindsay Reynolds; great grandchildren Kylie, L.J. and Dennis Tibbetts, Grayson and Griffin Grant, and Hayes Reynolds; sisters Terrie (Wayne) Griffiths, and Donna (Raymond) Shute, and several nieces and nephews.

Our heartfelt thanks to Nicole Ingraham for all of her help through Gram’s illness. She loved you and your kindness that you showed to her and Dustin and defended you fiercely.

Thank you to her neighbors who helped when she called needing a hand, Debbie and Clayton, Phil and Marsha, and Mark. Special thanks to Justin Morton for mowing her lawns this year...to her high standards. 

Per her request dating back to the 70’s there will be no funeral service, in her words “that’s just f’ing morbid!” A small gathering of family is planned to toast her with some Ballatore.

Instead of flowers or tears, in her honor please help someone less fortunate with a random act of kindness. Or give a deserving soul the finger. Entirely your choice.