Johnnie Dickinson

Johnnie "Jay" Batts Dickinson, a longtime resident of Mobile, Alabama passed away peacefully on Wednesday, August 14, 2024. Jay was 88 years young. She was born on February 1, 1936, in Wilmington, North Carolina. She was a 1954 graduate of Ketterlinus High School in St. Augustine, Florida, where she met her husband in the ninth grade. She and her husband, Vernon, were married for 70 years.

Jay was a beautiful dancer and singer. Her pastor said, "It was a special Sunday when Jay sang." She was a faithful servant of the Lord her entire life. Her faith and trust in God were evident in every facet of her life. She was a selfless, strong woman who rarely complained or spoke an unkind word.

She worked at World Omni Corporation for nearly 30 years; she retired at the early age of 84. Her work ethic and the care and compassion she had for co-workers was admired by all who knew her.

She is preceded in death by her parents, Bennie Batts and Flora Coker McCoy; sisters, Carmen Diener and Faye Burris; son, Vernon Dickinson, Jr.; daughter, baby Dickinson.

Jay is survived by her husband, Vernon Dickinson, Sr.; sister, Bryson Smith; children, Denise (Cecil) LaForce, William (Joanie) Dickinson, Natalie Dickinson; grandchildren, Granada LaForce, Alicia LaForce, Cody Dickinson, Cory (Julieanne) Dickinson, Chloe Dickinson; great-grandchildren, Madisyn Vallely, Tucker Vallely, Olivia LaForce, Raney Shields and Ava LaForce; and many nieces, nephews, cousins and dear friends.

The family will receive friends from 11 A.M. until 12 Noon on Tuesday, August 20, 2024, at Mobile Memorial Gardens Funeral Home, 6040 Three Notch Road, Mobile, Alabama, 36619. Followed by a chapel service at 12 Noon at Mobile Memorial Gardens with interment at Oddfellow's Cemetery in Bayou La Batre, Alabama.