H. Wayne Dickison

(Harry) Wayne Dickison, 79, passed away peacefully on Sunday, September 29, 2019, surrounded by his family after a brave battle with Alzheimer’s disease.

Wayne had a passion for teaching and served as a Headmaster in secondary education for 12 years at the Charles River School in Dover, MA, the Far Brook School of Short Hills, NJ and the Wheeling Country Day School in Wheeling, WV. In 1978, he became an Addiction Specialist/Clinician and retired from clinical therapy in 2004 after serving Fox Run Center for Children and Adolescents in St. Clairsville, OH, The Wheeling Clinic, Ohio Valley Medical Center, and Hillcrest Behavioral Health Services, also in Wheeling, WV. He was acknowledged for his exemplary work by Wheeling Jesuit College and the West Virginia Bar Association.

Wayne was born in Nashville, TN and upheld his strong Southern roots with a love of good cooking and a vital emphasis on family. He grew up in Fayetteville, NY after his father Leo accepted a position as the head of Bristol Myer Laboratories in Syracuse, NY. Wayne attended Vanderbilt University, his father’s alma mater, receiving a Bachelor’s of Science in Geology/Anthropology and later a Masters in Education from Syracuse University. After college, he spent his early career as a sailing instructor and skilled boat builder in Castine, ME. Working with his hands and creating homemade furniture was always a passion and some sort of woodworking project was often in the mix. His children’s homes now display many of these skilled treasures. Wayne was often described as someone who knew a little something about absolutely everything and loved history – often veraciously reading several books at once. Clad in LL Bean boots, thick wooly socks, and a cozy sweater vest, he was an avid collector of antique pistols and woodworking tools. Some of his family’s fondest memories include holidays cooking together with Wayne wielding a Chinese cleaver like no other. He was best known for his relentless compassion, masterful storytelling, quick humor, and a genuine interest in others. Wayne’s love of water never left him, and he spent lots of time visiting Key West, Florida and Assateague Island, Maryland.

He is survived by his two children and their respective spouses, Sara Dickison Taylor and Jim Taylor of Hingham, MA, and Matthew and Tammy Dickison of Avon, CT. Wayne cherished time spent with his three grandchildren, Emily, Sam, and Claire. He is also survived by his brother John H. Dickison and sister-in-law Jane of Fernandina Beach, FL and nieces Carrie Dickison Jurus and Nancy Dickison. He is predeceased by his wife, Janet Varanese Dickison, and parents, H. Leo Dickison and Billie Jane Dickison.

There will be a private celebration of life for family. Donations can be made in his honor to the Harvard/McLean Brain Tissue Resource Center https://givemclean.partners.org with the designation of “Brain Bank Fund”, where Wayne’s brain tissue is currently being used for cutting-edge research to forever end this insidious disease.