John Wyatt Dickson died peacefully on Tuesday, May 6, 2014, surrounded by the love of his family. He was born on May 14, 1947 in Honolulu, Hawaii, the son of the late Dr. Alvis Barnes Dickson, a surgeon in the United States Navy, and Ina Lee Willard Dickson. The family was stationed in Charleston, South Carolina and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. After Dr. Dickson's death, Mrs. Dickson and her two young sons returned to Dr. Dickson's hometown of Raeford, North Carolina, where John finished high school. He was a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the University's School of Law.
He began the practice of law as a Cumberland County assistant district attorney in 1976 and became the Senior Assistant under District Attorney Ed Grannis. He prosecuted major felonies on behalf of the people of North Carolina for 21 years. In 1997, Governor Jim Hunt appointed him to the Cumberland County District Court bench, where he presided primarily over family and juvenile court. He retired from the bench when his term ended in December of 2012.
He was a member of St. John's Episcopal Church where he served on the Vestry and as Senior Warden. He was a member of the North Carolina Bar Association which, along with the Cumberland County Bar Association, honored him with its Centurion Award in 2013. He was also a member of the North Carolina Society of the Cincinnati and served on the boards of the Child Advocacy Center and the Friends of the Cumberland County Library, reflecting his concern for children and his lifelong love of reading.
He loved and was deeply proud of his family, and his happiest and most contented times were with his Dickson clan at Topsail Beach, where since his early childhood he enjoyed fishing and the beauty and bounty of North Carolina's coast. His agile mind and quick and clever wit were joys to all who knew him.
He is survived by his wife, Margaret Highsmith Dickson; his children, John Wyatt Dickson, Jr., Ann Bright Highsmith Dickson, both of Chapel Hill, and Seavy Dawson Highsmith Dickson, of Raleigh; his brother, Alvis Barnes Dickson, Jr. and Constance Elizabeth Hogan of Raleigh; cousins, Anne Dickson Fogleman and Robert Arthur Dickson, both of Chapel Hill; and a great blessing of younger cousins scattered across our nation and beyond.
The family will welcome friends at 9:30 am until 10:45 a.m. on Friday, May 9, 2014 at the Kyle House on Green Street in Fayetteville, followed by a memorial service at 11 a.m. at St. John's Episcopal Church. The Reverend Robert Alves, Rector, will officiate.
The family suggests that in lieu of flowers friends consider contributions to the Child Advocacy Center Endowment or the Myrover-Reese Fellowship Homes Endowment, both in care of the Cumberland Community Foundation, PO Box 2345, Fayetteville, NC 28302 or St. John's Episcopal Church, 302 Green Street, Fayetteville, NC 28301.