04/19/2026
Union: Funeral Services for Ms. Dixie Adkins will be held at 11:00 a.m., Wednesday, April 22, 2026, at First Baptist Church of Union. Burial will be in Union City Cemetery. Dr. Jon Martin and Rev. Marcus Finch will officiate.
Visitation will be held 5:00-7:00 p.m., Tuesday, April 21, 2026, at Milling Funeral Home of Union. Visitation will also be held 10:00 a.m.-11:00 a.m., Wednesday, April 22nd, 2026, prior to services at First Baptist Church of Union.
Ms. Dixie Adkins, age 95, passed away on April 17, 2026.
Dixie was born in Wanilla, MS in Lawrence county. She claimed Jesus as her Lord and was baptized at a young age in Bear Creek there before moving with her family to Hattiesburg. She was a quick study, and skipped a grade in elementary school before graduating from Hattiesburg high school in three years. She pursued her undergraduate degree in Math first at MS State University, and then graduated from the University of Southern MS.
She remained a lifelong fan of MSU, USM and Ole Miss collegiate sports, following the football, basketball, and baseball teams every year, even asking her boys to text her scores during the games when she was unable to watch them herself. She shared her love of Atlanta Braves baseball with anyone, anytime, anywhere, and thought it fitting to make her exit from our world when she was confident the Braves were going to win the game on Friday night, April 17th: in the bottom of the eighth inning, with the Braves up 8 – 0.
She taught high school math at Union Public Schools for 28 years during the 1950 – 1991 span. When she first moved to Union, she taught in a classroom on the first floor of the west side of the “old” Union High School, a two story structure, and for years before the advent of air conditioning in the “new” UHS school building. Her first year teaching she made $200 a month, and lived at the old Sessums Hotel. Known for running a no-nonsense classroom, she gently silenced many a talkative student with her signature line, “I’m not talking just to hear my pretty voice.” While teaching, she contributed to the lifeblood of Union Schools in varied and numerous ways, including sponsoring the Beta Club and accompanying students to Beta Club conventions, working on the annual Achievement Banquet, and advocating for excellence in all programs and endeavors.
She believed in keeping her mind sharp: for many years she would score - keep the book - at baseball games. She said, “when Bob pitched, I wanted to keep up with every pitch he threw. How many were balls, how many were strikes. When the first official scorebooks arrived, they were so much easier to score.” She played bridge all her life, first with the Union Bridge Club, and then in retirement with her Philadelphia ladies’ group. In her retirement, she was hooked on Sudoku and Word Search puzzles – although not the ones that were “too easy.”
She lived out her Christan faith in quiet witness -ina life of service to others. For many years, she volunteered one day a week at the former Laird Hospital and was Volunteer of the Year in 2003. She was the main caregiver of her mother, Eula Howell, and of her father-in-law, Lois Z. Adkins, in their later years. She was all things a friend could be to her dear friend, Louise Porter Howle, during the latter years of her life.
While living in Union, she was a faithful member of First Baptist Church, Union. She sang in the choir, participated in senior exercise, and served on pastor search committees, among other service and activities. She encouraged others in their Christian walk, always modeling the biblical virtues of kindness, charity, and humility. At Brookdale Assisted Living these past two years, she watched the FBC broadcast each Sunday morning without fail, and sweetly encouraged those around her – staff, and residents alike - in their Christian faith.
She was devoted to her family. She met her husband Bernell when she moved to Union in 1950 and they married in December 1951, enjoying sixty eight years together before his passing. They were married in the Presbyterian manse, then on North Street. She kept a cool head and a loving spirit in the many instances Doc was “running late,” always appreciating his good intentions. She went to every game - as well as any other activity - that all four of her children participated in, including summertime games Bob and Bill played in Meridian at John Moss Field.
She was loved by all who knew her, family and friends alike. In turn, she demonstrated great love to her family and friends. She greatly appreciated the good care provided by Jackie Baysinger, Libby Strickland, and the Brookdale professionals who became dear friends to her.
Family. Church. Teaching. All were precious components of Dixie’s life. As she told the then Union Appeal in 2003: “I was the beneficiary of a lot of love. If I had it to do over again, I don’t know that I would do anything different.”
A life well lived. Though our earthly connection with her is now a thing of the past, our love for and spiritual connection to her remains, and we cherish the words of 1 Corinthians 13:13: “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”
Survivors:
2 Daughters: Dr. Nell Adkins and Ann Knight (Joe)
2 Sons: Bob Adkins (Melinda) and Dr. Bill Adkins
Grandchildren: Lydia Updike, Lana Blount (Jody), Ava Marie Harrison, Kyle Adkins (Kaitlen), Alex Adkins, Faith Adkins (The Late Porter Adkins), Zach Adkins (Tanja), Hayden Adkins (Madi), Adam Knight (Lea), Abby Winstead (Jonathan), and Andrew Knight (Ashley).
Great-grandchildren: Liam Bennett, Ace Updike , Billie Updike , Easton Blount, Sloane Blount, Hamp Blount, Landon Harrison, Ann- Taylor Harrison, Christian Harrison, Collins Adkins, Witt Adkins, Grace Adkins, Emma Adkins , Ella June Adkins, Josie Adkins, Neely Adkins, Porter Adkins, Murphy Adkins, Evan Knight, Abel-Joe Knight, Asher Knight, Griffin Winstead, Bennie Winstead, Quinn Winstead, Jackson Knight, and Harrison Knight.
Sister-in-Law: Jackie Webb
Ms. Dixie Adkins is preceded in death by husband, Dr. L.B. Adkins; one grandson, Porter Adkins; parents, Virgil and Eula Howell and six siblings.
Pallbearers: Zach Adkins, Hayden Adkins, Kyle Adkins, Jody Blount, Andrew Knight and Jonathan Winstead.
Honorary Pallbearers: Alex Adkins and Charles Howell
In lieu of flowers donations may be made to the Gideons International or the foundation supporting Union public schools at https://www.yellowjacketnation.org/
