Joseph “Joe” D. Dickens

FUQUAY-VARINA -Joseph “Joe” D. Dickens, 88, passed away Wednesday at Transitions LifeCare in Raleigh. A native of Wake County, he was the son of the late Clarence Roy Dickens and Lina Spence Dickens. A funeral service will be held on Sunday, December 20, at 2:00 PM at Bryan-Lee Funeral Home Chapel, Angier, followed by a graveside service with military honors at Wake Chapel Christian Church, Fuquay-Varina, NC. Joe will lie in state on Saturday, December 19th from 12:00-5:00 PM and Sunday, December 20th from 10:00-1:00 PM for anyone that would like to sign the register and pay your respects. Joe is survived by his wife of 42 years, Dorothy Ruth Ross Dickens; sister, Deborah Holland; step-children, Frank Godwin, Donna Godwin Hudson, Bob Godwin (Yooni); son-in-law, Garland Mann (Vickie Dickens Mann); eight grandchildren, eight great-grandchildren, one great-great-grandchild, nieces and nephews in various locations across the globe. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his daughter, Vickie Mann; daughter-in-law, Cindy Cates Godwin; brother-in-law, Les Holland; siblings, William Curtis Dickens, Norma D. Critcher, Glenn Burt Dickens, Gene Donald Dickens, George Earl Dickens, Edward Larry Dickens, and Roy and Ray Dickens (twins). Joe was a 41 ½ year (active duty) veteran of the U.S. Army assigned most of his career to the North Carolina National Guard in Raleigh, NC in logistics and previously in intelligence. Joe and his wife Ruth lived in Raleigh until 1997 when they relocated to Fuquay-Varina, NC. Joe had many many friends and was a lifetime member of the Fuquay-Varina ROMEO club. He also served as treasurer of the men’s Sunday School Class at Piney Grove Baptist Church. Joe was a noted expert in the .45 ACP competitive sports and won several championships in the United States and abroad representing the Army and in various gun club tournaments over the span of 45 years. He was also an avid hunter and a member of the Raleigh Gun Club and the American Legion. Joe loved gardening and he never met a person or animal who didn’t like him. Joe’s noted attribute by all was his ability to tell a very good joke at a moment’s notice and he had a memory that surpassed almost anyone’s. Joe stated that the greatest compliment he ever received was when he was told that he was a “gift to mankind from God for his humor”. In lieu of flowers, it is requested that donations be made to Cause for Paws (http://cfp-nc.com) or the ASPCA(www.aspca.org).