Administrators Pompeii Posted February 11, 2021 Administrators Share Posted February 11, 2021 Paul W. Dixon, 60, of Altoona, passed away on Wednesday, February 10, 2021 at his home surrounded by his girls after a 5 year battle with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). He was born in Dubois, PA on July 20, 1960, son of the Late Carl (Bill) Dixon and Ruth (Hoover). In 1989, Paul married the love of his life Patty (DeGennaro). Surviving are his wife Patty, daughters McKenna and Marina both of Philadelphia, mother-in-law Winifred DeGennaro, sister-in-law Theresa (Jeff) Hollingshead, brother-in-laws Rick, Jeff (Nicole) of Altoona, Alan (Tiffany) DeGennaro of Pittsburgh and George Murray of Dubois; 11 nieces and nephews; Christina Kinder, Mike (Laura, Madi) Murray of Reynoldsville, Dylan (Ashley, Everleigh) Michael of Tennessee, Brittany (Sean) Graziosi of Altoona, Matthew (Julie, Andreh), Kyla, Michael Hollingshead, Julian DeGennaro of Pittsburgh, Paige,Taylor, Alexander of Altoona. He was preceded in death by his parents, a brother Larry and sister Karen Michael, and father-in-law Gus DeGennaro. Paul was the last remaining member of his family. Paul was a 1978 graduate of Dubois High School, studied at Bucknell University and worked in banking for 33 years. He then switched careers, joining his family in the hair industry and worked as a Regional Sales Representative for Italy Hair Fashions and PA Beauty of Pittsburgh until his retirement in 2016 on disability. Paul’s favorite hobby from the time he was a young boy was playing guitar. He was an amazing and talented musician. He would listen to a new song on the radio and be playing it within the hour even though he never had a lesson and could not read music. He played in many bands however, his favorite band was “Insideout” playing classic rock with his dearest friends and family. Tennis was another favorite of his. Playing doubles with the old guys at the Racquet Club at 7am on Sunday mornings was a ritual for him. He loved teaching his girls the game, watching them play and of course playing competitively with them. Only he could win. He helped coach the AAHS Tennis Team one season between careers and enjoyed every minute working with those kids. Paul was also an avid skier, he grew up skiing in Holiday Valley until relocating to Altoona, where he then taught lessons at Blue Knob. McKenna and Marina were only 2 years old on skis pointing downhill. There was nothing that could keep him off the slopes so the sooner they learned the better. We spent many winters at Seven Springs, weeks at a time with our special friends, no matter how many lessons we got, no one ever looked as good as him on a white background. Paul was a devoted husband and father. He lifted everyone’s spirits with his great sense of humour and positive attitude, even though he was the one that was sick. A man of great faith and total acceptance of what was ahead. His journey throughout this process is inspiring to all of us who knew and loved him. He loved everyone and was forever grateful for the amazing team that cared for him on a daily/weekly basis. Brother-in-law Jeff, niece Brittney, cousins Dean, Aaron; his nurse Jen and his favorite nurses at Hospice, Kellie, Lynn, his aid Carol and Dr. Swindell. Paul decided to make an immeasurable contribution, the greatest gift of all to the LiveLikeLou Center for ALS research by donating his brain and spinal cord to science. A viewing will be held at Saint Marks Roman Catholic Church, 416 6th Avenue, Altoona, PA on Sunday, February 14, 2021 from 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM to celebrate Paul’s life (Masks Required). A Mass of Christian Burial will also be held at Saint Marks Roman Catholic Church on Monday, February 15, 2021 at 10:00 AM with Father Lubomir Strecok as celebrant. Burial will take place in Calvary Cemetery, Altoona, PA. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that contributions be made in Paul’s memory to LiveLikeLou Foundation, 2 South Campus Ave, Oxford, Ohio 45056 or online at LiveLikeLou.org. Arrangements are under the direction of the Baronick Funeral Home & Crematorium, Inc. Online condolences can be sent to http://baronickfuneralhome.com/condolence Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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