Scott Roy Dixon

Scott R. Dixon, beloved husband, father, son, brother, actor, director, and playwright, passed away on Thursday, November 29, 2018 at his Lanesboro home, surrounded by the love of family and friends, moving beyond where cancer can hurt him. He was 48. Scott was a smart, funny, and incredibly kind man. He was a true community member.

His greatest love was his wife Stela, his son Kieran, and his family and friends. His greatest passion was growing community through theatre and writing. He worked most of his adult life bringing stories to life on the stage, sharing his creative joy of writing, and telling stories with his family.

He was born to Carol and Walter Dixon on January 15, 1970 in Danvers, MA. In his teen years he developed a keen interest in computers, the New England Patriots, horror fiction, and theater. He graduated from Wilbraham and Monson Academy in 1988, earned a Bachelor’s Degree in English and Theatre from the College of Wooster (Ohio) in 1992, and received an MFA in Acting from Wayne State University in 1995. He was a member of the Playwrights’ Center in Minneapolis and the Dramatists Guild.

In 2001 Scott began his career at the Commonweal Theatre Company in Lanesboro. Starting with Henrik Ibsen’s An Enemy of the People, Commonweal audiences saw him in 43 productions – at one point eight in a row. He directed a new adaptation of Ibsen’s An Enemy of the People in 2011 as well as six other productions.

He and actress Stela Burdt met at Commonweal and were married on July 17, 2004 in Lanesboro. In 2010 they had a son, Kieran. Scott’s last role on stage was also his first time playing opposite his wife as a couple, in Love Letters for Valentine’s Day this year. He published "Beyond Midnight", a collection of horror short stories, in 2010. The Commonweal staged his adaptation of The Nutcracker and the Mouse King in 2005 and his play A Midnight Dreary, based on the life of Edgar Allan Poe, in 2009. His script for Dracula: Prince of Blood received enthusiastic audience response this fall. An attentive listener, Scott hosted several Over the Back Fence live radio shows from 2006 through 2008. His penchant for making puns was legendary, as were his self- deprecating comments about his tin ear for singing. When the musically gifted Stela played a role where she had to sing horribly off-key, he joked that she learned how by listening to him.

Scott was diagnosed with Stage IV Colorectal Cancer in January of 2017. Not wanting cancer to rule his life, he continued to love, live, work, and play as much as he was able throughout his treatments. Scott faced his cancer with never-ending hope and courage. Scott’s wish is to honor him not in saying he lost his battle to cancer, but rather he won, by moving beyond where cancer can hurt him, rejoining the Light of the Universe.

Scott loved walks with his wife and their sweet young son. When he went running with his pal Vincent P. Dawg, he picked up trash along the trail. If Scott was around, you were sure to laugh at his corny jokes. And being a child of the ’70s, he loved to crank up the volume and all the big hits of the ’70s and ’80s.

The family would like to thank Dr. Joleen Hubbard and her staff at Mayo Clinic, the incredibly loving staff of Mayo Hospice, and the staff of Gonda 9 and 10, who work daily to bring better living to people with cancer. We continue to grieve with our Commonweal family, who have supported us in so many ways. We also want to thank our beautiful friends, family, and all our supporters of #TeamScotty. Words cannot express how much your kindnesses have meant to us during the last two difficult years. Scott was a husband, a father, a brother, a son, a friend. His light will shine in our hearts forever.

He was preceded in death by his father Walter Dixon, aunt and uncle Marion and Thomas Hagen, uncle Paul Dixon, and grandparents William and Marion Ehlers and Bertram L. Dixon and Carrie (Wiggin) Dixon. He is survived by wife Stela Burdt, son Kieran Dixon, mother Carol Dixon, brother Glenn (Leana) Dixon, and nephew and niece Elias and Isabella Dixon, father- and mother-in-law William and Diane Burdt, brother- and sister-in-law Eric and Chelsey Burdt, and nephews Jackson and Kessler. 

In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to Kieran’s education fund or to the Commonweal Theatre.

A Celebration of Scott's Life will be 1:30 p.m. Saturday, December 8, at the Commonweal Theatre in Lanesboro MN.  Visitation will be from 12:00p.m. - 1:30p.m. the day of service at the Commonweal Theatre. Johnson- Riley Funeral Home is assisting the family with arrangements. To share a condolence with the family, please visit Rileyfuneralhomes.com

To send flowers to the family, please visit our floral store.