Irene Dickey, 93, of Portsmouth, went home to her Lord and Savior on Thursday, January 18, 2024, at the SOMC Hospice Center. She was born in Portsmouth on November 25, 1930, to the late Iverson and Claudia Lee McClain Cave.
Irene was a 1949 Portsmouth High School graduate and a longtime member of Findlay Street United Methodist Church, a church her father helped to found. At Findlay Street, she was the announcer and passed communion. Upon the closure of Findlay Street Church, she became an active member of Cornerstone Methodist Church where she participated in many church functions including Sunday School, Bible Class, American Red Cross Blood Drives, and more. Irene believed in helping others through her work as a board member of Time Out for Me and PIDC, as a volunteer with the 14th Street Community Center, and as a longtime election poll worker. She was also active in Porch Ministry and as a member of Alive & Kicking and the SOMC LIFE Center.
She began her professional career as an aide at the former Portsmouth General Hospital and she then moved to the former Mercy Hospital where she was a unit clerk for more than 30 years. In her free time, Irene enjoyed sewing and quilting, knitting, and working in her flower and vegetable gardens.
On September 23, 1950, Irene married Alex Dickey in Portsmouth. The couple was married for 61 years at the time of his passing on October 26, 2011. They were blessed with four children, Eric Steven Dickey of North Hollywood, CA, Robert Isaiah Dickey of Portsmouth, Lawrence Anthony (Mitzi) Dickey of Portsmouth, and Sheryl Ann Dickey of Ft. Lauderdale, FL. Also surviving is a special niece, Dorothy Carr Mitchell of Detroit, MI; a former daughter-in-law, Joyce Kimberly Dickey of Portsmouth; five grandchildren, Ryan Washington, Christopher S., Elizabeth, Nathaniel, and Gabriel Dickey; ten great-grandchildren; and many great-great-grandchildren.
In addition to her parents and beloved husband, Alex, Irene was preceded in death by four siblings, Iverson Cave, Jr., Leroy Devlin Cave, Hazella Byrd, and Margaree Moreland.
Funeral services will be held at 2 P.M. on Wednesday, January 24, 2024, at Cornerstone Methodist Church with Elder Ralph Clay officiating and interment in Greenlawn Cemetery.
The family will receive friends at the church from noon until the funeral hour on Wednesday.
Arrangements are under the direction of the Ralph F. Scott Funeral Home in Portsmouth.
Contributions in memory of Mrs. Dickey may be made to the 14th St. Community Center, Portsmouth, OH 45662.