Dixie Cooney followed her brother Will to Pine Valley in 1988. The niece of Palmer Cortlandt, she found employment as his archenemy Adam Chandler’s maid. She had an affair with her employer and bore him the son he believed his wife, Brooke, could not, and became his wife after Brooke left. In a plot to get rid of Dixie, reconcile with Brooke and get custody of Adam Jr., Adam convinced Dixie that she was insane, and she committed herself to an institution for fear of hurting their son.

Tad Martin helped Dixie through her troubles, convincing her that she had never been insane, and after she was released from the institution, the two married. Dixie also regained full custody of Adam Jr. Tad’s hatred of her uncle Palmer combined with the meddling of his natural mother Opal caused the marriage to deteriorate, though, and she and Tad split. PV bad guy Billy Clyde Tuggle became obsessed with Dixie and kidnapped her, but Tad came to her rescue and the two reconciled. On the day they were to be remarried, Billy Clyde reappeared and, in a fight with Tad on a bridge, both fell into the water and vanished. Tad’s body was never recovered, but he was presumed dead and Dixie was devastated.

In 1991, Dixie witnessed the murder of a convenience store clerk, and Craig Lawson saved her from the gunman’s pursuit. Unaware that Craig was a con man after Cortlandt Electronics money, Dixie fell in love with him and they were married. Her brother Will was murdered and revealed as a rapist, and in the midst of this Dixie discovered her husband was a con man. They divorced, and Dixie suffered from the delusion that her brother was still alive. Friend Brian Bodine supported her throughout her trials, and the two became lovers. Adam sued for and won custody of Adam Jr.

In 1993, Dixie came face to face with Tad on the bridge on which he was presumed to have died. Unable to accept that Tad was suffering from amnesia and believed himself to be Ted Orsini, Dixie assumed she was once again hallucinating, and ran away. She married Brian, they regained custody of Adam Jr., and tried to make a go of their marriage but it was doomed, and they divorced later the same year.

After more Ted Orsini trouble, Tad and Dixie were reunited and remarried. In 1994, Dixie’s brother Del Hunkle came to Pine Valley, and Dixie wound up donating a kidney to him. In 1996, Dixie discovered an affair betweenTad and Liza Colby, and she took Adam Jr. and left to return to Pigeon Hollow WV.

Dixie returned to Pine Valley in 1998, and almost missed her chance to reconcile with Tad. A la Sleepless in Seattle, she was to meet him if yes, stay away if no, but almost missed the meeting when her remaining kidney failed. Her heart became involved, but she was saved by the inimitable Dr. David Hayward, and she overcame her health problems to remarry Tad yet again in May 1999. Their marriage remains strong despite Tad’s continuing involvement with Liza’s problems, and her employment by Dr. Hayward.