Mr. John Davis "J.D." Dickens

Mr. John Davis 'J.D.' Dickens, 93, of Thomaston, passed away on May 10, 2015, at Riverside Health and Rehab. Funeral services for Mr. Dickens will be held on Wednesday, May 13th, at 11:00 AM at East Thomaston Baptist Church. Rev. Joey Smith and Rev. John Blackmon will officiate and burial will follow in South View Cemetery. Dickens was a lifelong citizen of Upson County, born in the Crest area on November 11th, 1921. He was preceded in death by his father, Warren Dickens, mother, Omie Mae Dickens, and step-mother Lillian Dickens; brother, Wilburn Dickens, and two sisters, Essie Ruth Dickens and Elizabeth Dickens Harris. On July 8th, 1945, Dickens married Edna Pryor, also of Thomaston, and their union would last for 68 years until her death in 2013. Together they owned and operated Dickens Upholstery Shop for over 50 years. Dickens proudly served in the U. S. Naval Air Corp during World War II. Aviation Machinist Mate First Class Dickens served as a Flight Engineer Combat Air Crewman, and was plane captain for Thomas H. Moorer, who later became an Admiral and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. After the war ended, Dickens volunteered for two naval arctic expeditions, Operation Nanook and Operation Highjump, whose missions were to map and photograph both Polar Regions. During Operation Highjump, which was organized by Admiral Richard E. Byrd, Dickens assisted in photographing the coastline of Antarctica. In recognition of his service, the U.S. Board of Geographic Names named a mountain, which he was the first to photograph, in his honor. Dickens Peak is located on Thurston Island, which is on the northwest coast of Antarctica. Mr. Dickens was an avid and loyal football fan. He held season tickets for R. E. Lee and Upson Lee, for a total of sixty years. He attended both home and away games, missing only a few due to illness. For his dedication, Dickens was named as an honorary member of the Upson County Sports Hall of Fame in 2007. Mr. Dickens was an active member of East Thomaston Baptist Church. Over the years he served in many different roles, including choir member, Training Union Director, and Sunday school teacher. Mr. Dickens is survived by two daughters, Rhonda Bowles of Thomaston and Melanie (Mike) Chambers of Meansville; a sister, Frankie Dickens Brown, and brother-in-law, Aubrey Brown; three grandchildren, Leah Shingler (Jeff) Banford of Mt. Crested Butte, CO, Matthew (Sabrina) Chambers of Bethlehem, GA, and Megan Chambers (Grant) Crago of Indian Trail, NC; a niece, Paulette Harris of Toronto, Canada, and two nephews, Barry Brown of Jupiter, FL, and Blake Brown of Houston, TX. The family of Mr. Dickens will receive friends at Fletcher-Day Funeral Home on Tuesday from 6 until 8 pm.