Obituary of Dixie Lou Artamenko

Dixie Lou Artamenko, 72 years old, of Colorado Springs, Colorado, passed away Monday January 23, 2023, surrounded by family and loved ones.  Dixie is survived by her son, Dan (Nicole) Artamenko; grandson, Ethan Artamenko of Liberal, Kansas; sisters, Delle (George) Moore, Linda Keller, and Kay (Dewaine) Royston; and brother, Joel White.  She was preceded in death by her spouse, Jack Artamenko; parents, Milton and Ima Faye (Acuff) White; and brother, Darrell White of Eagle, Colorado.

Dixie was born on May 3, 1950 in Clovis, New Mexico.  Dixie moved with her family to Simla, Colorado where she graduated from Simla High School in 1967.  After graduation, Dixie attended York College and Harding University.  Dixie began working for the United States Army as a budget analyst in 1970.  Shortly after, she met Jack and the two were married on December 15, 1973.  She worked for the United States Army until 1993, spending the last five years working for the Space and Missile Defense Command as director of resource management. After retiring to spend more time with her son, Dixie and Jack moved to Peyton, Colorado in 1994. Dixie began working for the Peyton School District in many different administrative and business roles, a job she would continue with all the way until 2023. Dixie and Jack would move back to Colorado Springs in 2014, building a beautiful house that overlooked the mountains and a meadow out of their backyard. She would spend every morning with a cup of coffee watching the sunshine on Pikes Peak.

Dixie was the definition of a boy’s mom. After the unexpected pregnancy and then birth of Dan Justin, or 'DJ; Dixie would devote the rest of her life to her son. She refused to let him win a game of basketball H-O-R-S-E, retiring from playing before he could ever beat her. She tried never to miss any of DJ’s sporting events, even attending his adult league softball games unexpectedly. She taught DJ what it meant to support our local sports teams, and the two became diehard Broncos and Nuggets fans, talking after every single game. When DJ needed a friend to go to the big game, she was always the first call. Dixie continued her love for DJ by moving in and helping with his grandson, Ethan. She made it a mission to spoil Ethan every chance she could. She loved Ethan so much.

Dixie embodied selflessness, putting family and friends above her own needs.  She never forgot birthdays or special occasions, ensuring everyone received a hand-picked card for every occasion. Her house was always the primary hangout spot, hosting New Year’s Eve, Super Bowl, and poker parties. If there was a competition, she was there.  She loved bowling and went to city, state, and national tournaments.  Her getaway was either Cripple Creek or Las Vegas, finding her playing video poker.  And don’t forget the jig-saw puzzles, they became a staple in the house, mandatory to do over holidays.

Visitation, 1:00PM-2:00PM, Friday, February 3, 2023, Elbert Christian Church, 23894 Broadway Street, Elbert, Colorado 80106.

Funeral Service, 2:00PM, Friday, February 3, 2023, Elbert Christian Church, 23894 Broadway Street, Elbert, Colorado 80106.

Celebration of Life, 5:00PM, Friday, February 3, 2023, Artamenko Residence, 7484 Waterside Drive, Colorado Springs, Colorado 80925.

Private burial to be held at Elbert Cemetery.