Dickinson, Robert
DICKINSON, Jr., Robert
Robert "Bob" H. Dickinson, Jr., 88, passed away peacefully on Thursday, July 21, 2022, from respiratory failure due to sudden complications from COVID. He was surrounded by his daughters and his loving wife at his side.
Robert was born April 25, 1934, in Chicago, IL. Bob attended Austin High School and then graduated from Grinnell College in Iowa. Upon graduation, Bob enlisted in the Marine Corps, rose to the rank of Captain, and became a Marine pilot while being stationed at El Toro Marine Corps Air Station in California. During this time, he met and married Judith Allen, and they started a family.
In 1972, he moved to Atlanta, GA and became a stockbroker for Shearson Hammill Co. where he first met Harleen, his future wife. In 1987, he reconnected with and married Harleen Young Thosteson. Fueled with a passion for flying, he started the Safety Aire Flying Club and for over 25 years he taught hundreds of future pilots how to fly at Atlanta's Peachtree- DeKalb Airport. In 2001, Bob survived a plane crash during a training flight. Upon his recovery, he retired from flying and moved to Crossville, TN, later Hilton Head, SC, and finally to Raleigh, NC to be near family. Bob and Harleen remained happily married until the end, when Bob and Harleen passed away within one day of one another.
He is survived by his three daughters, Lorri Dickinson Griffin, Barbara Dickinson, Caryn Dickinson Haas; his first wife, Judith Allen Dickinson; his grandsons; and a great-grandchild; in addition to multiple nieces and nephews.
Both Bob and Harleen were lifetime animal lovers; contributions are requested to be sent to The Retirement Home for Horses at Mill Creek Farm in Alachua, FL.
