Paul Edwin Dickinson passed away in his home on Sunday, November 10, surrounded by his wife and four children. He was 74 and had battled MDS and leukemia for the last two years.
He was born on June 1, 1945, in Bellevue, WA, to his parents Benjamin and Vernette Dickinson. He graduated from the University of Washington and earned a master’s degree from Webster University. In 1975, he married Elizabeth (Betty Ann) Morton Lambert, a union that included two young children who soon embraced him as their father.
Paul served in the U.S. Army from 1968-91, achieving the rank of Lt. Colonel. He was a dedicated armor officer with a distinguished career that took him to postings in Germany, Korea, and throughout the United States.
After retiring from the Army, he was assistant athletic director at Siena College in Loudonville, NY, before launching a second career with military contractors, including SAIC and General Dynamics Land Systems (GDLS). He was particularly proud of his time as director of ground combat support for GDLS, where he managed a global workforce in support of the Abrams and Stryker vehicles. He and his family also spent five years in Saudi Arabia, where he managed a General Dynamics Operations site for maintenance training on the Abrams M1A2 tank.
He and Betty Ann retired to The Villages in 2013, where Paul enjoyed his Wednesday and Friday golf groups and “mastered” the ukulele with help from the Ukulele Players Club. His children remember him coaching their sports teams, playing guitar for family sing-alongs, reminiscing about his youth in Washington state, hauling them to fantastic locations around the world, and taking early morning walks on the beach in Ocean City, NJ.
LTC Dickinson is survived by his wife, Betty Ann; his children, Michael (Summer) Dickinson, Sharon (Anthony) Dent, Kathleen (John) Jimenez, and Megan (Britt) Warren; seven grandchildren; and three sisters. He is preceded in death by a grandson, Benjamin.
Cremation is planned. A celebration of life will take place at a later date. In lieu of flowers, please donate to Fisher House Foundation.
