Dr. Dixon Ferrin Larkin, born on July 3, 1947, passed away on November 11, 2023, due to multiple medical
complications following a stroke that he suffered at age 49 in 1997.
A native of Ogden, Utah, Dixon was born to Louise Dixon and Elijah Ferrin Larkin, the eldest of six children. His
educational journey began in Ogden City Schools, where he graduated from Ogden High School in 1965. Following an
LDS mission in the Brazil South Mission from 1967 to 1969, Dixon crossed paths with his future wife, Carol Lyn
White, in a University of Utah chemistry class. They were married in the Salt Lake Temple on August 10, 1970, just
after Carol completed her degree in Medical Technology.
Dixon attended the University of Utah, where he received his M.D. in 1974. Continuing to advance his medical
training, he completed a surgical internship in 1975, a public health fellowship in 1976, and completed a radiation
oncology residency from 1976 to 1979.
Dixon's career was marked by versatility. He practiced medicine for two years with Radiology Associates in
Appleton, Wisconsin, before returning to school and earning his J.D. from Brigham Young University and joining the
Utah State Bar in 1984. Dixon worked for Jones, Waldo, Holbrook and McDonough from 1984 to 1989 while also serving
on the Medical/Legal Committee of the Utah State Bar Association and the Board of Directors of
theAmerican Cancer Society
in Utah. In addition, he was involved with education of both doctors and lawyers, lecturing to medical continuing
education groups and teaching at the J. Reuben Clark Law School at Brigham Young University. His practice with the
firm included the medical and health care aspects of the law.
From 1989 to 1990, Dixon was Assistant Vice President and Legal Counsel for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Utah. The
next three years he worked as Counsel for GTE Health Systems Incorporated before being appointed as Deputy
Insurance Commissioner of Utah from 1993 until 1996, and he served as Acting Insurance Commissioner in
1997.
His influence extended to education, with roles as an Associate Professor at Westminster College of Salt Lake and
an Adjunct Professor of Law at Brigham Young University.
Dixon wanted to be a pilot, but in those days, you had to have perfect vision, not corrected vision, to fly in the
Air Force or commercially, so instead he went to medical school. Nevertheless, eventually he did take lessons and
learned to fly. One day he came home and told Carol that he had bought an airplane. She said, "We didn't even have
furniture and he informed me that he bought an airplane!" It was a twin-engine Comanche, in which he had one-third
ownership. While in law school, he taught flying lessons as a certified flight and instrument
instructor.
Dixon was an active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, he and Carol have lived in the same
house since May 1982 in the Sherwood Hills Ward, previously the Edgemont 15th Ward. Dixon has served as Sunday
School President and Ward Clerk. His favorite work in the church was genealogy, and he devoted thousands of hours
to this endeavor, continuing to avidly work on genealogy until nearly the end of his life. Dixon enjoyed singing
with a quintet of childhood friends for over 40 years, and he enjoyed camping with his family and
friends.
On March 8, 1997, Dixon suffered a hemorrhagic stroke. The stroke affected the speech centers of his brain and the
right side of his body was paralyzed. Dixon has said that he had to learn to walk multiple times in his life: when
he was a baby; at the age of three, when he broke both of his legs; at the age of forty-nine following the stroke;
and again at 69 following a fall.
Dixon is survived by his devoted wife, Carol Lyn, and their children, David (Michele), Sarah (Richard) Robbins,
Jeffrey (Emily), and Megan (Blake) Thomas, as well as 11 grandchildren. Also survived by siblings: Julia (Ray)
Squires, Rochester, MN; Marty Larkin, Cedar City, UT; Jim (Christine) Larkin, Ogden, UT; Bill (Sharon) Larkin,
Fruit Heights, UT, and Jane (Ted) Thurston, Escondido, CA.
Funeral services will take place on Saturday, November 18, at the Sherwood Hills Ward, located at 345 E 4525 N St,
Provo, UT 84604. Visitation will be from 11:30 am to 12:30 pm, with the funeral service beginning at 1:00 pm.
Interment will follow at Eastlawn Memorial in Provo.
The family wishes to express thanks for the many acts of service that we have received over the years, including
meals, yardwork, shoveling snow, rides, gifts, visits, and so much support from family, neighbors, medical
providers, and friends. Special thanks to his hospice nurse Kristie, who displayed great kindness to Dix and his
family in the final months of his life. The family also wishes to thank members of the Edgemont 15th Ward/Sherwood
Hills Ward for their many years of support to Dixon and his family.
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