Lizabeth Murphy Dickinson

Lizabeth Murphy Dickinson, - age 69, of Knoxville. Lizabeth grew up in Memphis, TN, being raised by her mom and grandmother. She graduated from Immaculate Conception High School class of 69 and then moved to Colorado to be with her fiancé, Jack Dickinson, secretly on weekends as he was a cadet in the Air Force Academy. She stuck with him for over 23 years of active duty air force life. Along the way she attended University of Maryland remotely as a military spouse at several air force base satellite campuses while balancing being a mother of two boys, an officer’s wife, a catholic youth volunteer, a red cross volunteer, and working on and off as the family required. She eventually graduated with bachelor’s and master’s degrees in counseling. She was a member of All Saints Catholic Church and a firm supporter of Knoxville Catholic Dioceses Schools and Catholic Charities. She worked as a family and grief counselor in the Knoxville area after her husband’s retirement before retiring herself. She worked with many people as a professional counselor and as an Alcoholics Anonymous sponsor. My mother finally overcame her own alcohol addiction late in life and always stated it cost her a wonderful marriage, a price so high that all she wanted was to help others save their marriages by overcoming their alcohol addictions before it was too late for them. She loved my father always and in the end took ownership of her choices and the damages addiction had made and held the greatest remorse for her ex-husband and all of the extended family for any hurts that happened before becoming dry and sober 11 years ago. It is something she felt so strongly about that she had me swear to profess this for her to all her family and friends left behind. Mom, I do this now and will forever more with love and respect. Lizabeth enjoyed traveling and raising her two boys around the world from Okinawa, Japan, across the Midwest and Southern United States, and in Frankfurt, Germany as a military wife and mom. She loved reading historical and nonfiction books about the Popes, The Catholic Faith, and Catholic Church. She was passionate about equal rights and opportunities for all and spent many years as a professional counselor and youth minister. She was an involved and supportive mom to her boys and grandson as they grew up. She loved going back to California to visit her son Ross and spending time with her grandson Dakota here in Knoxville. Preceded in death by her parents and her youngest son Ryan Francis Dickinson. Survived by her oldest son Jack Ross Dickinson III and her son-in-law Steven Leroy Dickinson of Sacramento CA, her grandson Dakota Dickinson of Knoxville, her granddaughters Taylor R. Martin and Angela M. Carson, both of Memphis, TN, and her 3 great grandchildren Madelynn, James, and Kaylee in Memphis, TN, her loved and cherished ex-husband Jack Ross Dickinson Jr., her brother-in-law Bill Dickinson, her sister-in-law Diane Miller, the Cochran family, and her cousins Deborah Kratsch, Wendie Elkins, Timothy Hill, Thomas Hill – all of whom she grew up with and always referred to as her brothers and sisters instead of cousins, and her nephews Kyle Kratsch and Kevin Kratsch. To all who knew my mother Liz as a grandmother, a friend, a fellow parishioner, a family member, an adopted mom, a sponsor, or a counselor – know that she had love for all of you and wished nothing but the best for everyone in her life. In her words that she recounted to me always over the last 47 years of my life, “God’s love to everyone and through his indominable strength a great life is made by their faith, will, and choice. God bless us all and may everyone find peace, joy, and love in their lives. The family will receive friends at Rose Mortuary Mann Heritage Chapel on Wednesday Feb 12 from 4:00 – 5:00 pm with a Celebration of Lizabeth’s life to immediately follow. Private Family graveside. In Lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to The American Red Cross, her charity that she devotedly believed in and volunteered for several times during her life abroad and at home in the United States.

Tributes

Lizabeth Murphy Dickinson

February 6, 2020