Dixie Fortis

FAIRHOPE, AL On August 22, at 3:15 a.m., Dixie Fortis, of Fairhope, Alabama, passed in her sleep. She is survived by her husband Jerry; her brother and sister-in-law, Roger and Nancy Buyan; her niece, Jane Tuthill and her family; her stepchildren, Cherie Fortis and Callin Fortis; and her cat Babe. Dixie and Jerry moved into their Fairhope home on the fateful morning of September 11, 2001. They had moved from Chicago where she and her husband enjoyed lengthy and highly successful careers at nationally acclaimed advertising agencies, McCann Erickson and Needham Harper & Steers. During her time, her writing was the advertising voice for such notable national brands as Betty Crocker, Butterball Turkey, Caterpillar Corporate, Sears The Men's Store, Encyclopedia Britannica, Kraft, Morton Salt, Household Finance, Johnson Wax Favor, Chi-Chi’s restaurant chain, Beatrice Foods Bonkers and others. In 1990, she and her husband opened their own advertising agency, Fortis Fortis & Associates, which enjoyed great success and recognition and was highly ranked in Inc. Magazine’s top 500 fastest growing private companies. Dixie was one of advertising’s great creative talents. She was named Advertising Woman of the Year and  voted by her peers as one of the country’s top 100 Creative talents. She won countless Clio Awards, advertising’s equivalent to the Oscar, as well as Cannes Film Festival Awards. She was voted into The Chicago Women's Hall of Fame, and a founding member of The Chicago Network, an organization recognizing Chicago's most notable female professionals. In Fairhope, she was known and recognized for her outstanding work as a painter, having been shown in numerous art galleries and hung in many Baldwin County homes. She also won Best of Show at both the Fairhope Art Center and Daphne’s BARG. Dixie regularly regaled her family and friends with a masterfully written and incisive series of observations on Fairhope and the area called the Fairhope Journal. Her writings, her works of art, and her countless professional achievements remain on earth behind her as living testimony of her great talent, great soul, and life. A memorial service will be held Saturday, August 31, 2013 from 4:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m. at Wolfe-Bayview Funeral Home in Fairhope to honor Dixie’s life. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you remember Dixie by donating in her name to: The Fairhope Cat Coalition P.O. Box 262 Fairhope, aL 36532 Phone: 251.517.4328 www.fairhopecatcoaltion.org ARRANGEMENTS MADE BYWOLFE-BAYVIEWFUNERAL HOMES& CREMATORY, INC.19698 GREENO ROADFAIRHOPE, AL  36532(251)990-7775