SCARBOROUGH — Charles D. Dickey Jr. passed away peacefully Dec. 9, 2012, at his home in Scarborough. He was 94.
Charley was a graduate of St. Paul’s School in Concord, N.H., and Yale University, Class of 1940. After college, he worked briefly for J.P. Morgan and as a special agent for the FBI before enlisting in the U.S. Marine Corps in World War II. He was a veteran of the 5th Marine Division and served in the Battle of Iwo Jima and in the occupation of Japan. Following the war, he joined the Scott Paper Co. as a salesman. After numerous positions, including time as president of British Columbia Forest Products, he became chairman and CEO of Scott Paper in 1971, and held that position for 11 years before retirement. He was a director of General Electric, J.P. Morgan and Cigna. He served as chairman of the Smithsonian National Board. In addition, he worked tirelessly for numerous civic organizations. He received an honorary LL.D. from the University of Pennsylvania in 1987. Friends and family were enormously important to Charley, and he had a gift for staying connected throughout his life to the many whose lives touched his. He was an avid fly fisherman, beekeeper and reader of history. He thrived in Maine at “Soundings,” his summer home on Mount Desert Island where afternoon sails on Tyee were the order of the day. He was the product of a past that valued personal relationships, hard work, humility and integrity.
He is survived by Helen “Rogie,” his beloved wife of 65 years. He was the adoring father of five children, Charley Dickey and his wife, Sheila, of Seattle, Wash.; Heidi Fitz and her husband, David, of Cumberland; Sylvia Whitman and her husband, Gordon, of Weston, Mass.; Catherine Dickey and her husband, Peter Smith, of Dedham, Mass.; and Rob Dickey and his wife, Deborah, of West Newton, Mass. He was the proud grandfather of 14 grandchildren; a step-grandson; and a great-grandson. He is also survived by his brother, Whit Dickey of Lebanon, N.H.; and his sisters, Mary Lindsay of Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y., and Cathy Dickey of Princeton, N.J.
A celebration of Charley’s life will be held 11.a.m. Monday, Dec. 17, 2012, at St. Alban’s Church, 885 Shore Road, Cape Elizabeth. Arrangements are under the care of Jones, Rich & Hutchins Funeral Home, 199 Woodford St. Portland. In lieu of flowers, you may donate in Charley’s name to the Maine Coast Heritage Trust, 1 Bowdoin Mill Island, Suite 201, Topsham, ME 04086, or the Good Shepard Food Bank, 111 Pine Tree Industrial Parkway,Portland, ME 04102. Please visit www.jonesrichandhutchins.com. for additional information and to sign Charley’s guestbook.