NORTH ADAMS, Mass. —  David Loren Dickey, 90, of Wilmington, North Carolina, formerly of North Adams, Massachusetts, passed away on August 29, 2026.

David, the son of Loren Edward Dickey and Helen Josephine (Beaudin) Dickey, was born on June 5, 1936, in North Adams. An only child, he grew up in the Berkshire Mountains and showed an early gift for academics, piano, and athletics. He graduated from Drury High School in 1954 at the top of his class, serving as class president and excelling as a three-sport athlete. Offered full-ride scholarships to Harvard, Princeton, Yale, and Brown, David ultimately chose Princeton, where he fell in love with the campus. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English. While at Princeton, he demonstrated his entrepreneurial spirit by starting a business selling personalized Princeton merchandise. It became a story he proudly shared with his children: in its first year, the business earned him more than some of his professors.

Following graduation, David was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the United States Air Force and served in Germany during the height of the Cold War. After the sudden death of his father in 1959, he returned home to North Adams and took over the family insurance business, the Loren E. Dickey Insurance Agency. The agency later merged with the Gallup Agency to become the Gallup-Dickey Agency, where David served as vice president and treasurer.

In 1963, David married Ingrid Louise Greiner, and together they raised three children, Krista, Loren, and Aaron, in North Adams. Travel was one of David’s great passions, and during that time he became an integral part of the former Pierce World Travel Agency, which later became the Travel Store, based in Williamstown.

In 1988, David married Susan Louise Meaney in Maine and moved to Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina, where they raised their daughter, Heather. He went on to build a successful career in real estate and land development, serving as vice president of Land Resource Company and Bluegreen Corporation. His work included involvement in several residential development projects throughout southeastern North Carolina and beyond, most notably the development of a golf course in collaboration with Masters Champion Fred Couples.

Throughout his life, David was known for his intelligence, independence, charisma, ambition, and entrepreneurial nature. He took great pride in his family, his friends, his career, and the communities that shaped his life.

David is survived by his wife, Susan Meaney Dickey; his children, Krista Marie Dickey (Brian), Loren Edward Dickey, Aaron David Dickey (Michaela), and Heather Elizabeth Dickey; his grandchildren, Lindsay Lincoln, Ashley Andrews, Cassie Sedgley, Jessica Cormier, Morgan Dickey, Olivia Dickey, and Samantha Dickey; and his great-grandchildren, Elsie Andrews, Bennett Sedgley, Callen Sedgley, Hayden Cormier, and Ava Andrews.

He was predeceased by his parents, Loren and Helen Dickey, and his first wife, Ingrid Louise Dickey.

Services for David L. Dickey will be held on Monday, September 21, 2026, at 11:00 a.m. at St. Mark’s Church in Wilmington, North Carolina. Burial will take place at a later date in the family plot at Southview Cemetery in North Adams, Massachusetts. In lieu of flowers, the family invites those wishing to honor David’s memory to make a donation to a charity of their choice.

The family extends a special thank you to Angela Conway and Debbie Nelson, as well as Lower Cape Fear Hospice of Brunswick County and the dedicated staff at Bluefield Memory Care Center, for the care and kindness they showed Diamond Dave. Flynn & Dagnoli Funeral Homes – CENTRAL CHAPEL 74 Marshall St. North Adams, MA 01247 is entrusted with arrangements. To add to the book of memories please visit www.flynndagnolifuneralhomes.com