John W. Dicks

September 15, 1930 - December 23, 2019

John Walter Dicks, 89, passed away on the evening of December 23, 2019. In his final days and until his final breath, he was surrounded by his family. John was born in Saline, MI on September 15, 1930 to John Selah Dicks and Una (Lamb) Dicks. He grew up on a farm in that same town and attended school until graduating from Saline High School in 1949. He worked at Universal Die Casting until he joined the Army. He served in Korea for which he was awarded several medals. In 1952, while still in the Army, he met and married his wife of sixty-seven years, Ruby Buzan of Santa Barbara, California. After leaving active duty, he served as an active reservist and retired as a Lieutenant Colonel after twenty-eight years of service. In the decades after leaving active duty, he worked as a gunsmith and managed Cochran’s Sporting Goods. In the 1980s, he went to work in the Randall Lab at the University of Michigan, from which he retired in 1994. He was an avid outdoorsman and hunter, but his true passion was competitive shooting. He was a distinguished marksman in the Army, where he competed for many years, winning many competitions and earning several awards. John was a longtime member of various organizations including the NRA, Tri-County Sportsmen’s League, Washtenaw Sportsman’s Club, Saline Masonic Lodge #133, Order of The Eastern Star, The American Legion, and First Presbyterian Church of Saline. He is survived by his wife Ruby, daughter Cindy (Chris) Kelly of Flint, granddaughter Brooke Kelly of Grand Rapids, grandson Christopher Kelly III of Flint, brother Lloyd (Marge) Dicks of Saline, niece and numerous nephews, and dear friends Paul and Karen Losey. He was preceded in death by his parents, his son Roger Dicks, and sister Elizabeth Greene of Medford, Oregon. Family will receive friends on Sunday, December 29, 2019 from 1:00 P.M. until 5:00 P.M. at the Robison-Bahnmiller Funeral Home in Saline with a Masonic service at 5:00 P.M. A funeral service will take place on Monday, December 30, 2019 at 11:00 A.M. at the First Presbyterian Church of Saline. Burial will follow at Oakwood Cemetery with full military honors. In lieu of flowers memorial donations can be made to the Saline Masonic Lodge #133 or the Saline American Legion and envelopes will be available at the funeral home. Finally, the family would like to thank Victoria’s House of Flint, MI and the staff of Heartland Hospice for taking such exceptional care of John in his final days. To sign John’s guestbook, leave a memory, for directions, or for more information, please visit www.rbfhsaline.com.