Aubrey W. Dickerson

Aubrey W. Dickerson, 91, passed away February 28, 2016 in Portland, OR. Celebration of Life will be at 11 a.m. Saturday, March 12 at Muehlebach Funeral Home, 6800 Troost, Kansas City, MO with visitation at 10:30 a.m. Interment will follow at Forest Hill Cemetery. Aubrey was born August 5, 1924, and grew up in Spikard, Missouri. He was the middle boy of three sons born to Royce Ira and Etha Pauline (Roberts) Dickerson. His parents divorced when he was young, and his mother moved home with her parents. Pauline, who was primarily a homemaker, also taught piano to the boys and other children. When asked about his childhood, he said it was a happy one even though the Depression years were hard. He and his brothers all helped their grandfather with his small mercantile and service station. Aubrey did many of the things any small boy would have done during that period of time in rural Missouri. He remembers fishing, having a paper route, taking music lessons (although he would have said he was not particularly good at piano, preferring the xylophone and marimba), and playing sports. He remembered committing his life to Jesus as his Lord and Savior at a tent revival in his early teens. His mother later remarried a widower with a young son named Dale. Aubrey and his siblings would take turns completing a quartet with his mother and step-dad at church. When WWII broke out, Aubreys older brother, RM, joined the Army Air Corps and served as a flight instructor in Texas. When Aubrey graduated from high school, he joined the Navy, also hoping to be a pilot. However, while he was in flight school, his older brother was tragically killed in a training accident in Texas. Aubrey remained in the Navy, but his vision prevented him from the final stages of pilot training. After the war ended, Aubrey stayed in the Naval Reserves and attended the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign on the GI Bill. He met his wife, Vera, on a blind date arranged by his younger brother, Feryl, in 1949. When asked what they did on their first date, he said most likely food was involved in some way! Their romance was not the typical "met her and never dated another" scenario. He dated a few other girls but was brought back by her "attractiveness." They were married on September 2, 1949, and established their home in Kansas City, Missouri. Their only daughter, Vicky, was born in February of 1951 while Aubrey was serving active duty on a mine sweeper during the Korean War. After the Korean War ended, Aubrey followed his talent with math by completing a second Bachelors Degree in Business Admin-istration from Rockhurst College. He worked with Henry and Richard Block in Kansas City long before they became known as H&R Block. He worked for several firms in the Kansas City area including Davis Fabrics and Standard Milling, retiring from the latter firm. He did taxes on the side and his wife was a "tax season widow," long before the term was coined. He and Vera were married for 54 years before she passed away in March of 2004. Aubrey enjoyed his time in the Navy, both the active duty and reservist years, saying it was a good time period of his life. He remained active in the Naval Reserves, retiring after serving 27 years. Over the years, he and Vera went to many of the local Naval Reserve functions including their annual balls. Aubrey was also active in church. He taught adult Sunday School and served for a time as the class president. In Kansas City, he had been a member of Santa Fe Hills Baptist Church and First Baptist Church of Kansas City on Red Bridge Road. He was an avid book reader and loved all kinds of card games. He was especially good at cribbage, pinochle, and samba, a version of canasta. He enjoyed crossword puzzles, scrabble, and dominos, especially Mexican Train. Their daughter, Vicky, married Jerome Maurseth in 1974 while in college, and they have eight daughters. Jerrys job brought them to the Portland area in 1978. When Aubrey was asked how he came to Oregon, he said with a dead-pan look, "I drove!" Actually, he and Vera came out together in 1994 to enjoy their granddaughters: Thrusie, Kristin, Deborah, Andrina, Neomie, Catherine, Alicea, and Theresa who range in age from 26 to 41. Two years ago when asked how many great-grandchildren he had, he said he must have over 7,000 (meaning they were too numerous to count)! But he always had pictures of them around his home. To date, he has thirteen grandchildren - nine great-granddaughters and four great-grandsons with a fifth grandson due this summer!


SERVICES Funeral Service
Saturday, March 12, 2016 10:30 AM - 11:00 AM
Muehlebach Chapel 6800 Troost Avenue Kansas City, Missouri 64131
Celebration of Life
Saturday, March 12, 2016 11:00 AM
Muehlebach Funeral Home 6800 Troost Avenue Kansas City, Missouri