Fanester “Ester” Rene Dickerson, 71, of Portsmouth, passed away on Sunday, November 5, 2023, at the SOMC Hospice Center. She was born on July 22, 1952, in Canton to the late Retha Seabrook and James Thomas Franklin, Sr.
Ester retired from SOMC after 44 years of service, working for 21 years as a surgery tech and 23 years as a registered nurse. She attended Marshall University where she was a member of the Delta Sigma Theta sorority. While she was an undergraduate student, the sorority crossed into the Theta Omega Chapter of Marshall University. Ester graduated with a BSN from Shawnee State University in 1996 and she was a 1971 graduate of Scott High School in Madison, WV.
A faithful member of Kingdom Builders Evangelistic Ministries, Ester shared her lovely voice in the church choir. She also enjoyed crocheting and spending precious time with her family.
Surviving is her beloved husband, Gregory Lewis Lamarr Dickerson, whom she married in Portsmouth on November 15, 1974; her three children, Michael Andre (Jodi) Dickerson of Portsmouth, Malika Danelle Dickerson and Misty Lamarra Louise Ray, both of Columbus; two sisters, Hazel Favors of Albany, GA and Lenora (Thomas) Horton of Charleston, WV; three half-brothers, Theodore “Nip” Franklin of Huntsville, AL, Ulysses Davis and John Davis, both of Canton; brothers and sisters-in-law, Nancy Corrine White of Portsmouth, Norman Lee Dickerson of Cincinnati and Greta Ruth Dickerson of Portsmouth; three grandchildren, Michael Alexander “Alex” Dickerson, Olivia Ellen Rene Dickerson and Adea Danelle Dickerson-Ray; one great-grandson, Princeton Michael Dickerson; and many nieces, nephews, cousins and their families.
In addition to her parents, Ester was preceded in death by four siblings, James Franklin, Jr., Richard Franklin, Linda Henry, and Pearlie Mae Rice; a sister-in-law, Mary Constance Dickerson; and a brother-in-law, Mitchell Mahogany Dickerson, Jr.
Funeral services will be held at 1 P.M. Friday, November 10, 2023, at the Ralph F. Scott Funeral Home in Portsmouth with Bishop David Malone officiating. The Nurse Honor Guard of the River Cities will provide a special tribute honoring Ester’s many years as a registered nurse. Interment will be in Scioto Burial Park at a later date.
The family will receive friends at the funeral home from 11 A.M. until the service hour.
