Robert Dickinson
Aviation was his Greatest Passion
Robert B. Dickinson, formerly of Winthrop, Miami FL and Aguadilla, PR, passed on September 24. He was 83 years old.
Bob was born in San Diego, CA, the beloved son of the late Mary (Vergona) Dickinson of Winthrop and the late Albert W. Dickinson of Scituate. He was the cherished grandson of US Navy Captain Martin Dickinson and Marion Dickinson.
Bob was the ex-husband of the late Dina G. Dickinson of Winthrop and is survived by his five children: Patrick Dickinson of Geneva, IL, Katie Byrne of Nashua, NH, Cindy Dickinson Hanley of Alexandria, VA, Paul Dickinson of Winthrop and Monica F. Roy of Lynnfield and his seven grandchildren. Bob was the brother of ? Anne Dickinson and the late William Dickinson. both of Scituate, Martin Dickinson of Washington, DC, Mary Margaret Bird of Orono, ME, Thomas Dickinson of Woonsocket, RI and Elizabeth Furlong of Weymouth. He is also survived by his extended family, the Goodrows of Burlington, VT whom he loved.
Bob was a graduate of Boston University. His greatest passion was aviation and all things related to the aviation industry. Prior to his retirement, he had an extensive career with SwissAir and various other airlines. Bob was a Commercial Pilot, Licensed Aircraft Dispatcher and a Licensed Aviation Ground Instructor. He lived in Aguadilla, PR for over 20 years and was instrumental in the redevelopment of the former Ramey Air Force Base to a commercial airport. He had many friends in Aguadilla, a place that he loved and called home and he enjoyed going to the beach every day with his four rescue dogs.
Bob served honorably in the US Army and US Army Reserve for over 40 years retiring with the rank of Chief Warrant Officer 4 (CW4) with the Army Security Agency (current day US Army Intelligence and Security Command (INSCOM). His service included many Special Access Programs and classified projects including tours of duty with the Defense Intelligence Agency, US Special Operations Command, U.S. Southern Command, The White House High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) Counter Narcotics Program and the US Border Patrol.
Visitation will take place at the Bedford Funeral Home, 167 Great Rd., Bedford, today, Thursday, Sept. 28 from 1 to 3 p.m. A funeral service will immediately follow.
In lieu of flowers, please send donations to the VA Bedford Healthcare System, CDCE (135), 200 Springs Road, Bedford, Massachusetts 01730. In memo line: Hospice 2-C
James “Jamie” Holcombe Jr.
Retired Airline Captain And a Kind and Generous Man
James P. “Jamie” Holcombe Jr., 64, of Winthrop passed away on September 23 surrounded by his loving family after a grueling battle with glioblastoma. He faced his difficult diagnosis with an inner strength and a quiet dignity that surprised nobody who knew him.
He lived in Massachusetts for many years but was born in Charleston, SC, a city he truly loved and visited frequently throughout the years. He always considered Charleston to be his real home and he was a true southern gentleman to his core.
Jamie was such a kind man and very generous to the people around him, oftentimes paying for the car behind him in the drive thru or an elderly person’s groceries just to bring a smile to someone’s day, including his own. He enjoyed many things in life but nothing meant more to him than time spent with the friends and family he cared for so deeply, special times that usually included great food, good conversation and wonderful restaurants. He was known for his own culinary skills which were impressive to say the least and his famous clam chowder was always in high demand around the holidays and could rival the best of them.
He was also an eloquent writer, responsible for nightstand drawers overflowing with cards and letters he liked to write to the people he loved, words far too precious and meaningful to ever be discarded, but saved instead to be read again at another place in time.
Jamie’s love of friends and family extended to the four legged kind as well. No matter where he went, if there was a dog in the vicinity, it somehow made its way over to him for a belly rub and Jamie didn’t disappoint. They were drawn to him instinctively, somehow sensing his loving nature as only a dog can do and that love was always reciprocated. We can only imagine the race to Heaven’s door with Jocko, Bulova and his beloved Butch racing to be the first to greet him.
Jamie enjoyed so many different things and was always ready for the next adventure. He loved to travel which was a big part of his life and his job. He loved the ocean and waking up every morning to the salt air and beautiful views that always brought him peace and serenity but never more so than these last few months.
He also liked concerts, a great series to binge watch, a good book to read and all things outdoors, but he was his happiest anytime he had a fishing rod in his hand and was out on his treasured boat that brought him endless hours of pleasure.
But while fishing brought him so much joy, his true passion in life was found at 37,000 feet in the air when he was flying an airplane. Jamie spent more than 40 years in the airline industry and flying was in his DNA. He began his airline journey at Piedmont Airlines as a flight attendant but realized the cockpit of the plane was where he belonged.
He worked for US Airways when the two companies completed a merger and ended his ? career as a Captain at JetBlue Airlines where he spent the last 16 years doing what he loved the most, flying airplanes.
He leaves behind his beloved wife and twin flame, Merna (Van) who will count the minutes until she is reunited with the love of her life; his children whom he adored: Jessica Holcombe and her partner, Timothy Kottyan, Taylor Boyle and her husband, Keith and Ashley Holcombe and her husband, Jonathan Bailey and his cherished granddaughter, Harper Rose Boyle who stole his heart the day she was born. He also leaves his mother, Frances (Noonan) Holcombe, two brothers, Robert Holcombe and John Holcombe and his wife, Brooke, a sister, Elizabeth Holcombe, his sister-in-law, Marjorie (Van) Finucane and her husband, Michael and brother-in-law, Jeffrey Van and his wife, Debbie as well as his mother in law, Lois Van. Jamie was predeceased by his father, James Philip Holcombe and his sister, Ashley Heath Peters. He also leaves behind many friends and extended family members.
Jamie’s life and the tender way he treated people could never be summed up in a paragraph or two but fortunately for those of us who loved him dearly there are pages upon pages written for him in our hearts where he will remain forever. A helping hand or a random act of kindness for someone would truly honor his memory and would be very much appreciated by his loved ones. This more than anything else would capture the generosity of spirit and the grace with which Jamie lived his life.
We will honor him at a later date to be announced. Funeral arrangements are from the Maurice W. Kirby Funeral Home, 210 Winthrop St., Winthrop, MA. To sign Jamie’s guestbook, please visit www.mauricekirbyfh.com.