Ron Dickson Obituary

August 7, 1954 – September 28, 2025
Ronald Arthur Dickson was, simply put, a beautiful human being. He was born to Bernie and Louise Dickson in Saint John's, Newfoundland on August 7,1954 where his father, a U.S. Naval Commander, was stationed. The family moved to Virginia when Ron was 2 years old, and again to Granada Hills, CA when he was 9. He has 3 brothers, Alan and Patrick (both deceased) and Gordon Dickson.
Ron loved growing up in southern California, taking up the family passion for competitive swimming. He swam with the San Fernando Athletics' Club from ages 7-17, swimming free-style and winning numerous competitions. Even as a child he was a leader and organizer, making movies with the other neighborhood kids and creating a neighborhood swim team called the Piranhas. He coached young swimmers in his family's backyard pool. He went on to organize support for a local politician who succeeded in making a unused piece of city land into a beloved park (O'Melveny/Bee Canyon) where he would eventually marry his Dawn Hudson in 1982 after a five-year courtship. They shared a beautiful life together and loved each other for 48 years.
Coming from a musical family, Ron taught himself to play guitar and started his first band, The Half-Fast Mountain Band, where his brother Gordon played washtub bass. Ron's love of music infused his entire life with the greatest influence being the Grateful Dead. He and Dawn traveled many miles attending countless Dead shows with friends and family. He boasted that he had been to 150+ shows. He and Dawn celebrated 12 New Year's Eve shows in a row in San Francisco.
His artistic skills led Ron to work in the print/lithography trade for most of his career which brought he and Dawn to Seattle, WA in 1985. He loved the outdoors, and Seattle was the perfect place for him to continue to exercise his love of hiking, backpacking, and soaking in hot springs. His gift of creating community continued as he coordinated numerous whitewater rafting trips for his co-workers at Rainier Color Graphics.
Music still called, and Ron immediately began connecting with other musicians and formed Kuli Loach, Seattle's first Grateful Dead cover band. Loach became a fixture on the scene and continued to entertain Seattle locals for three decades. In addition to making flyers and setting up gigs, he helped organize Peace Concerts in the park every summer for many years. He threw a big "Loach-Fest" annually for fans of the band and created a celebration of Jerry Garcia's life after his passing which he lovingly dubbed "Jer-Fest." Along with his cousin Kathy, he also organized a large family reunion on his mother's side and created a beautiful genealogy logbook for the Green Family reunion.
Ron revisited his birthplace for his 46th birthday and fell in love with the people and the music of Newfoundland. He started another band, Piper Stock Hill with local talented Celtic-style musicians that played together for 6 years. Both Kuli Loach and Piper Stock Hill created records in the studio leaving a legacy of his love of music.
Ron was an avid reader with an interest in history and politics. He was a world traveler and lover of animals. He could quote long passages from the Firesign Theatre and entertained guests with vivid anecdotes told with a wry sense of humor. He was also a collector of coins, vintage tins, and music memorabilia.
Ron is survived by his wife and lifelong partner Dawn Dickson, brother Gordon and many loving cousins, nieces, nephews, and their children and spouses. He expressed his love quietly, but he felt it very deeply. To be loved by Ron Dickson was one of the greatest gifts a person could receive. Ron died of Lewey Body Dementia at age 71.
"May the four winds blow you safely home."