David Charles Dickey

David Charles Dickey

David Charles Dickey, 68, died at his home in Stanardsville on Tuesday, November 24, 2009, after a long struggle with lung disease.

He was born on March 11, 1941, in Detroit, Michigan, the eldest son of John Wakeman Dickey and Patricia Hope Dickey, and was followed by John Michael Dickey in 1942.

The family lived in Detroit, Pony Hollow, New York, Ridgewood, New Jersey, and Pine Glenn, Pennsylvania, before moving to Greenway Cottage in Esmont, Virginia, in 1960. He was particularly proud of making Eagle Scout and of founding with his brother the Rocky and Bullwinkle Fan Club as a teenager.

He graduated in 1959 from The Hill School in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, also the alma mater of his brother and his son. At The Hill School he developed a passion for wrestling, a belief in broad, classical education, and a love of victimless pranks. After several years studying engineering and competing as a wrestler at the University of Michigan, he worked as a court reporter and taught himself ancient Greek in Charlottesville. He then enrolled at St. John's College in Annapolis, Maryland. St. John's was an idyllic immersion into the great classics of western civilization that solidified his deep convictions about justice and freedom, and he responded by matriculating at the University of Virginia School of Law.

In 1970, he opened a solo practice in Stanardsville, which he continued until his retirement in 2009, serving as Commonwealth Attorney for the County of Greene from 1972 until 1984. His calling as a lawyer came to define his life, and he enjoyed nothing more than fighting for his clients in the courtroom. He loved learning, philosophy, local and national politics, University of Michigan football, and culture. He delighted in his Scottish heritage, science fiction, making omelets, hiking, the ocean, and games of skill. He was especially devoted to chess, working on gambits, spending long evenings at the chess table with visitors, and sharing his love of the game with his children and grandchildren. His long commitment to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and its branches yielded among other honors the title of Past Grand Master of the State of Virginia.

He is survived by his former wife, Julia D. Dickey of Stanardsville and their four children, Thomas Edward Dickey of Richmond, Anne Winston Dickey and partner, Laura Hartman of Rock Island, Illinois, Sarah Kathleen Dickey of Stanardsville, and Rachel Perry Holderied and her husband, Anthony, of Lumberton, North Carolina; his brother, John Michael Dickey and his wife, Claire, of Elizabethtown, North Carolina; a grandson, Jackson Reese Wakeman Dickey of Richmond; and two granddaughters, Alder Elizabeth Dickey of Richmond and Avery Jordan Holderied of Lumberton.

He followed his father and mother John and Patricia Dickey of Stanardsville in death.

A graveside service will be held at the Stanardsville Cemetery 1 p.m. Saturday, November 28, 2009, with Grace Cangialosi.

Memorial contributions may be made to Hospice of the Piedmont, 675 Peter Jefferson Parkway, Suite 300, Charlottesville, VA 22911.


This obituary was originally published in the Daily Progress.