Mother Musheerah Dixon Shahid

Mother Musheerah Shahid (f/k/a Gladys Elaine Dixon) of Gainesville passed away Monday, June 27, 2022, at Shands Hospital. Funeral services will be Saturday, July 16, 2022, at 3:00 p.m., at the Female Protective Temple, 12610 NW 39th Avenue, Gainesville, FL, with Pastor LaShon Young, Officiating, and Bishop Gary L. Hall, Sr., Eulogist. Interment will follow in Newnansville Cemetery, Alachua, FL. Musheerah Shahid was born in Alachua 81 years ago on February 28, 1941, to the union of Huritt Dixon, Sr. and Theresa Jones-Dixon. A childhood resident of Alachua, FL, Musheerah experienced her Christian conversion at an early age under the ministry of Westside Church of God in Christ. At the time of her death, she was a Church Mother and a Trustee Board member of Fresh Start Ministries (formerly Victory Temple Ministries Family Life Center, Inc.). Musheerah was a 1959 high school graduate of A. L. Mebane High School. In 2019 A. L. Mebane High School Alumni Association crowned her as their 60th Year Reunion Queen. As a young adult, she received an Associate degree in Nursing from Santa Fe Community College. She achieved a lifelong educational pursuit in 2013 when she obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Human Services, Magna Cum Laude from Kaplan University. Musheerah's over 37 years of employment with the State of Florida culminated with her retirement as a Vocational 1 Instructor at Tacachale Center, Gainesville, FL. She also worked as a Critical Care Nurse at Shands Hospital during her young adult years. On June 27, 2022, she put on "wings like a dove [and flew away] to be at rest" (Psalm 55:6) when her spirit took flight from her ailing body. Preceding her in death: her parents, Huritt Dixon, Sr., and Mother Theresa Jones-Dixon; sister, Eunice Dixon-Garrison; brothers, Huritt Dixon, Jr., Charles Williams, Alfred Dixon, and Jerald Williams; son, Terry H. Seabrooks; and daughter-in-law, Marilyn Seabrooks. Her positive community impact and influence resulted from her helping those enduring difficult periods in their lives. Among a large body of her lifelong community service was her establishment of the first After-school Tutorial Program in Southeast Gainesville. She was also a Community Liaison for the University of Florida's Upward Bound Program. Her sage counsel and support for justice within the greater Gainesville area are part of the legacy she leaves behind. Musheerah was a staunch advocate for the use of the "balm in Gilead" as a salve to heal her community's woes. Her tireless and unselfish life's work led to the 1990 Hall of Fame Award Recipient Honor she received from the Martin Luther King, Jr. Commission of Florida, Inc. Musheerah leaves behind a host of loving and devoted birth, adopted, and foster children: sons, Richard Seabrooks, Jr., Woodbridge, VA; Sam Wesley (Betty), Gainesville, FL; Rev. Trenton E. Lewis, (Loretta), Columbia, SC; daughters, Glennette Seabrooks, Hersell Seabrooks, and Jolander Seabrooks (Robert), Gainesville FL; Betty Lou Wood (Charles), Starke FL; Pamela Naji (Winzer), Gainesville, FL; and Shepherdess Dr. LaShon Young, Gainesville, FL; 18 grandchildren; 27 great grandchildren; brothers, Larry Dixon (Shirley), Mitchellville, MD; Woodrow Dixon, Sr., (Audrey), Atlanta, GA; and Dewayne Dixon (Sandra), Athens, OH; sisters-in-law, Eleanor Dixon, Tampa, FL; Edwina Dixon, Atlanta GA; and Ruthel Williams, Gainesville, FL; uncle, Samuel Jones (Lovella), Jacksonville, FL; aunts, Naomi Griffin, Julie Keys (Willie D.), Jacksonville, FL; Betty Mingo, and Josephine Jones, Miami, FL; god-sister, Nadine Burgess, Pompano Beach, FL; a host of other family members and friends. Visitation for Mother Shahid will be Friday, July 15, 2022, from 2:00 PM to 7:00 PM at Chestnut Memorial Chapel. Funeral Services will be held on Saturday, July 16, 2022, at 3:00 PM at the Female Protective Temple, 12610 NW 39th Avenue, Gainesville, FL 32606, with Pastor LaShon Young, Officiating, and Bishop Gary L. Hall, Sr., Eulogist. Interment will follow immediately in Newnansville Cemetery, Alachua, FL. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the educational scholarship fund of The A. L. Mebane High School Alumni Association Inc. in her honor: Scholarship Fund, PO Box 628, Alachua, FL 32616. Family and friends are asked to meet at the Shahid Residence, 938 SE 20th Street, Gainesville, FL 32641 at 2:00 PM to form the Cortege. Due to COVID-19, all in attendance are asked to please wear a facial covering. Arrangements Entrusted to the Care of Chestnut Funeral Home. Cards may be sent to 18 NW 8th Avenue, Gainesville, FL 32601. To order floral arrangements, please visit www.chestnutfh.com/obituary/musheerahshahid. Any questions may be directed to 855-5-CHESTNUT or admin@chestnutfh.com. "A CHESTNUT SERVICE"

Tributes

Mother Musheerah Dixon Shahid

February 28, 1941 - June 27, 2022