By Susan Schwartz
Theodore “Theo” Dixon, the Mayor of West 71st Street, passed away peacefully in his sleep early Thursday, November 22, 2025, at the age of 100.
West 71st Street Block Association founder and co-leader Katina Ellison shared the sad news in an email last week, writing “Theo was widely known and beloved in our neighborhood, a constant sunny and loving presence, greeting everyone, animals and humans alike, on West 71st Street and outside Muffins Café. He was the oldest and most loyal member of the West 71st Street Block Association, even accompanying us to community board and police council meetings to express our concerns and ideas for the neighborhood. There will be a memorial in the spring.”
Life wasn’t always easy for Dixon. He was born in New York City on August 5, 1925, at New York Hospital, the son of a Cherokee Indian mother and African-American father. He grew up in Virginia, attending Colonial Williamsburg Bruton Heights Education Center. After graduation, he volunteered to serve in the Navy in 1942. “You got to help your country. I gave it my all,” he previously explained to West Side Rag.
Dixon was honorably discharged after three years in active combat in the Pacific Theater, which left him with PTSD. It was also his first experience with racism.
Theo moved from Hell’s Kitchen to Hargrave House on West 71st Street in 2004 and almost immediately became a well-known fixture. His favorite spot in the neighborhood was in front of Muffins Café on Columbus Avenue, where he was usually decked out in bright colors, with a wool cap and a huge smile. He made sure to reach out to the local children on their way to and from school, telling them we were “depending on them” and that they mattered, with a warm smile. He greeted everyone else with an inspiring, jaunty “Keep love alive!”
Michelle Hill asked Theo about his life for a WSR article on December 8, 2013, when he was “only 88”, asking him what he does. Theo replied “I am here to elevate the community. I want to talk to people, not on a computer but in person. I watch everyone going to work and school. This is my spot on this bench (in front of the Muffin Shop). I wish everyone a good day, and make people smile. All of these children, they are my children. They are our future. I am part of the 71st Block Association. You know… I stay politically active too, I am the unofficial mayor of the block. I was New Yorker of the Week in August on NY1.”
Theo was not only adored by his neighbors, but received many official honors. On his 100th birthday, he received proclamations from New York State Assemblymember Linda B. Rosenthal and New York State Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal, declaring August 25th “Theodore Dixon Appreciation Day”.
The year before, Dixon was inducted into the New York State Senate’s Veteran’s Hall of Fame in a ceremony at St. Paul and Grace Church on West 71st Street.
“Theo Dixon was not only the mayor of West 71st Street – he was the beating heart and soul of that block for decades,” said Assemblymember Linda B. Rosenthal. “I had the extraordinary privilege of spending time with Theo over the years, and I am grateful that I had the chance to honor him with a New York State proclamation for his 100th birthday.
“Theo embodied the very best of New York; he was always quick with a smile, a joke, an inspirational word. One’s day simply brightened when you saw him, a devoted patriot, in his favorite spot on Columbus and West 71st Street. I, along with his neighbors and friends, will greatly miss his positivity, his grace and his presence. May his memory be a blessing.”
Read More: The Upper West Side’s Mayor Theodore Dixon Turns 100 Years Old
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“The children are our future “. RIP Theo and thank you for all the love that you shared with us.
It now falls to the rest of us to keep love alive.
Rest in peace Theo.
Love this
Sad news! Wish my block had a someone like this! Perhaps they can rename that section of 71st St. in his honor!
Theo was truly an embodiment of the way all of us should be: full of community spirit and a cheerful contributor to society. I’m sorry to hear of the racist maltreatment he had to endure (especially as a member of American fighting forces in the South Pacific in WWII)!
We will miss Theo’s bright and ever-optimistic attitude. He greeted us every morning on the way to elementary school and for years and years after. We adored him.
Rise in glory, rest in peace
He elevated our community and we will continue to rise. Onward and upward! Rest in peace, Theo. We will all miss you.
A great Hargrave House neighbor! He always pat my dog. RIP Theo.
Oh my heart, he was the best! Rest well, Theodore. You gave so many of us so much joy and love. You will be deeply missed.
I will miss him. He made friends with my nervous, edgy dog. He was so patient with him, and after months of trying to win him over, I came out from the café to see him sitting next to him on the bench, getting Pet. Theo loved his scrappy nature. What a beautiful soul. We’ve lost an angel on earth.
Loved Theo! We will miss him – but he leaves us with an example of how we can choose to live as a community! Godspeed good neighbor!
Theo made a difference in the lives of everyone who met him. Fly high, my friend.
I first met Theo when I lived in midtown. We would pass one another on 57th St. He’d always shout out “keep the faith.” When I moved to the UWS, I would structure my daily walk to make sure I psssed by the muffin shop.
We talked about everything; politics; Vietnam;
World War II( the state if education in America,
All conversations would routinely be interrupted to interact with the children, I will miss him dearly!
Rest peacefully Mr. B!
Bruce Greenfield
We loved Theo!! He used to greet and talk to my son on his way to school as he passed by the muffin cafe. He will be greatly missed, but his presence lives on at 71st and Columbus!
What a kind a beautiful soul. Spreading “shots of love” from a neighborhood bench. As a fellow NYer of the week I wish Theo a sweet transition and thanks for his service.
Appreciated our chats!
Many people (those who knew him least) thought Theo was crazy, the way he spoke, and how he called out “I love you” to every child who passed him as he sat wherever he was that day (mostly at outdoor cafes). And this was true, unconditional, almost “parental” love.
But Theo was one of the sanest men I ever met. I had known him since 1998, when I became a member of the Executive Board of the 20th Precinct Community Council, and he was a regular attendee for his building and his block. We grew very close for quite some time, not least because we w ere both Leos, and he had a special place in his heart for them. We would sit for hours and chat about everything, but mostly “the children” and the way the world treated them. (We also spoke about music, the UWS (and all the changes we had both seen), and even politics, which he didn’t really care for.)
But the largest part of his heart was given over to the children. He seemed to know every child on the UWS, as well as their parents. “The children are our future” was one of his oft-spoken mottos.
He may have been 100, but Theo was ageless. He was also impossibly upbeat and optimistic, even in the worst of times. In almost 30 years, I never heard him complain even once – about ANYTHING. In fact, he never even had a “bad” word to speak in all that time, about anyone or anything. He never even complained when he himself was in bad or worsening shape for some medical reason. And his optimism was infectious.
In a world gone mad, be a Theo.
I will miss my fellow Leo terribly.
This really hurts. My kids will be crushed when I tell them later. About seven years ago my daughter drew Theo a picture of him sitting outside the bakery. Every time we saw him after, he would always make a point to tell her the picture still hangs near his bed. He made a difference to a whole community, which is very rare. One of the most kind individuals I’ve ever met. Rest in peace, Theo.
We will miss him so much, he was truly family to us. Rest in peace Theo, we love you!
My family was terribly sad to hear of his passing . Theo presided over our block for over 30 years, shepherding our children on their way to school, petting our puppies, cheering us on to and from work every day. My daughter, who is now 25, wrote her college entrance essay about “Mr. Theo.”
He will be warmly remembered and sorely missed.
Crying at work. He was all heart and will be so missed
There are many definitions of a successful life. Theo Dixon’s hundred year sojourn is one of them. RIP.
Beautifully written, Susan. Even those of us who never knew Theo feel this loss.
R.I.P. darling Theo
Beautifully written tribute, Susan. I never met Theo but wish I had.