Digital subscriptions provided by the City of Gulfport THE GABBER.COM No. 2793
December 29, 2022 - January 4, 2023
Gulfportian of the Year Marissa Stewart was a visitor to Florida in 2015, having come down from her lifelong home in West Virginia for her sister’s wedding, and was browsing a local listing of events when she came across something that immediately caught her eye. “What is this thing called GeckoFest?” she asked her sister. “Where is Gulfport?” Since there was no formal wedding reception planned, the entire wedding party took in the annual event, which had a Mardi Gras theme. She knew then that she would eventually move to Gulfport, thinking at first that it would be after retirement. But she changed her mind and became a Florida resident in the spring of 2016. Today she is known locally as Marissa Stewart-Dix, because within a short time she met the man who would become her husband, Derrick. They had their wedding on the beach in Gulfport and were living in the city by the fall of 2017. But aside from Gulfport’s charm, one thing that impressed both of them was that so many residents shared their passion for communiMarissa continued on page 12
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By Monroe Roark
Gulfport Art Center board member Marissa Stewart Dix.
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