Fern Reichman Dewey

DEWEY, Fern Reichman, 89, of Powhatan, formerly of Bon Air, died November 13, 2008. Born in 1918 in Topeka, Kan., she was the survivor of 10 children. Beautiful, intelligent and ambitious, she followed two older sisters to the east coast, settling in pre-WWII Washington. During a visit to Philadelphia in 1942 at the USO, she met and fell in love with Air Force Sgt. Ray Dewey. They married in 1943. Sons, Ray Jr. and Jeff followed, then the three sisters and their families settled in New Jersey. She was preceded in death by Ray after 60 years of marriage. A transfer to Richmond resulted in a professional career featuring founding membership in the National Secretary Association and the Certified Professional Secretary designation. She retired as the administrative assistant to the President of Abbott, Proctor and Paine. Survivors include sons, Ray Jr. and his wife, Pat, of Powhatan and Jeff and his wife, Pat of Mechanicsville; grand-daughter, Allison of Mechanicsville; grandson, Mark and his wife, Jill, and their daughter, Virginia, of Powhatan; as well as countless nieces, nephews and wonderful friends. A memorial service will be held 11 a.m. Tuesday at the Huguenot Chapel of Woody Funeral Home, 1020 Huguenot Road. The family will receive friends one hour prior to service. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Special Olympics Virginia Area 6.


This obituary was originally published in the Richmond Times-Dispatch.