Carol Ann Dickerson

Carol Ann Dickerson, age 82, of Newark, DE, passed away unexpectedly on Saturday, February 21, 2026.

Carol – Christmas Carol – was born December 26, 1943, to the late Edward and Marie Nelson in Port Huron, MI. She moved to Elkton, MD after graduating high school. Her parents had moved to Elkton as her mother transferred to work at Chrysler in Newark, DE. She was introduced to Allen Dickerson as their mother’s worked together.

Carol and Allen started life together as young adults and overcame struggles through teamwork and hard work to create a great life for their family. Vacations in the early years were tent camping and progressed to camper, pull trailer, motor home then hotels. Many adventures were had as the family visited states from Florida to Maine.

Once the kids were in their teens, Allen and Carol enjoyed travel with friends, golfing, and home projects. Together they re-did their whole house and maintained their yard and flower beds. You could usually hear them fussing with each other over such projects as they each had a different idea on how to complete the task. They eventually came to the same conclusion and finished the job.

Carol worked at Downes Elementary School cafeteria when school lunches were made from scratch. She then worked at Kiddie World – the greatest toy store ever, then Leisure World selling pool tables and hot tubs. Her greatest job was being a wife, mother and nana. Her children’s friends all knew her as well as her grandchildren’s friends. Even as they became adults. Everyone was always welcome at the house for swimming, sledding, food or hanging out. She was everyone’s mom.

If she knew you wanted something she would go to the ends of the earth to get it for you. If she wanted you to have something, even if you didn’t ask or know you wanted/needed it, she got it for you. And if it was on sale – even better. She was very opinionated and wasn’t shy about sharing it. To our chagrin, she was usually right.

She wasn’t one for being lazy. She was always on the go. A get things done person. She didn’t let things stop her or get in her way when she wanted something done. And if she wanted help, you helped. If you needed something done, she was our go to person. Need a lamp re-wired, done. Need pants sewed or hemmed, done. Need new drawstring in your sweatpants, done. Need your Christmas tree out of storage, done. Need curtains made, done. Need furniture, done. And yet she would say she wasn’t talented. She has nurtured an azalea for 58 years and a Christmas Cactus for over 40 years. Her flower beds are often complimented on.

She had a quick wit, was fast with a laugh or smart comment and had a great smile that sparkled in her eyes.

She loved running around for the day, a runaway weekend or a week or two. And she was a great co-pilot. She always had snacks and drinks, and spotted all the license plates seen. She loved her getaway so much that she’d pack a week or two in advance. She looked forward to Kim’s special ham and cheese sandwiches on her trips. Her favorite places to travel were Michigan, Butler, PA, Florida (Disney!) and beaches. At the beach she searched for shells and watched for dolphins.

For the last two years Carol took her daughter, Kim and granddaughters, Kortnie and Valerie on a “girls’ trip”. The first trip was to Connecticut. It included hot tub, beaches, and a casino. Plus, an almost sunrise in Rhode Island and accidentally finding Taylor Swift’s house. The following year the adventure was in Tennessee. It included twisty, mountain roads, bears, and an ATV ride. Yes, Carol rode in the back of the ATV, holding on the whole time but also yelling “Goose it, Kim!”. All these trips included much laughter and love. This summer the trip is to North Carolina and the girls hope to continue the tradition.

Carol always made you feel special. She never missed a chance to give a gift. The house was decorated for every season and holiday, top to bottom, inside and out. She also showed her love through her cooking. She made great meatloaf, stuffed peppers and pork chops. Pumpkin rolls, almond thumbprint and chocolate chip cookies were looked forward to each Christmas.

Carol was an avid reader. But not a fan of sweet happy stories. Nope, she liked the murder mysteries. She got many of her books from Little Free Libraries. She had a loop in Newark that she frequented weekly. She even repaired a few libraries, organized some and would shift books between libraries. She never passed a Little Free Library without stopping and frequently had a bag of books to donate with her.

Thrift stores, yard sales, jigsaw puzzles, trash picking, bird watching, sewing, family, friends, pink roses, lemon drop martini’s, yelling at Allen, gardening, dogs, card and board games, seashells, back roads, feathers and ladybugs are some of Carol’s favorite things.

Her family is not sure what they are going to do without her. She was the organizer, encourager, backbone of the family. The TV remote needs batteries, the napkin basket is empty, and we don’t know where the extra coffee is. It might take our family a while to adjust but they will get through this.  With each other. And love.

Carol is survived her loving husband of almost 63 years, Allen; son, Daniel (Cindy); daughter, Kimberly; grandchildren, Kortnie, Valerie (Ryan), Matthew, Alexis, Ashley, Sean and Austin; dogs, Riley and Buddy; great-grand dogs, Tyson, Charlie, Maya, and Finnegan; sister, Meredith LaGruth; sister-in-law, Margaret Nelson; and many nieces, nephews, great nieces and nephews.

A visitation for family and friends will be held from 11 am until 12 pm on Thursday, March 5, 2026, at Spicer-Mullikin Funeral Home, 121 West Park Place, Newark, DE, where a funeral service will begin at 12 pm. Interment will be held privately.