Johnny Dykes

He is survived by his daughters; Debbie of Oxford, Miss. and Dabney Weems (Joel) of Fuquay-Varina, N.C., granddaughter Layton Weems, sister Imelda Gott (Fred) of Houston and many cousins. He is preceded in death by his parents Katie and John Dykes.

Dykes was born in Baton Rouge on D-Day in 1944. He was a graduate of Istrouma High School and the University of Mississippi and owner of Dykes Store and Louisiana Liquors. He was actively involved in local and state government for many years including serving as a city councilman on the Council of East Baton Rouge Parish, deputy coordinator for the Governor’s Office of Permits and the Department of Economic Development. Dykes was a Freemason (Istrouma Lodge), Jeffersonian and active with Associated Grocers, serving as chair and on the board of directors.

He was an avid Ole Miss fan who loved “Football Saturdays,” traveling to Oxford and other campuses during the seasons to watch the Rebels and telling stories of games gone past. His love for Ole Miss did not stop with athletics. Dykes was a lifetime member of the alumni association, past president of the Baton Rouge Alumni Chapter and served on the School of Business Alumni Board.

Dykes enjoyed hunting and riding horses on his farm in Mississippi, even traveling to Colorado for hunting trips. He especially loved spending time with his granddaughter and also spending time with friends. He never gave up hope that Wile E. Coyote would eventually catch the Roadrunner!

A celebration of life is scheduled for 2 p.m. - 4 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 2 at Rabenhorst East in Baton Rouge. In lieu of flowers, a memorial can be made in Dykes’ memory to the National Dementia Society of America, at dementiasociety.org / donate.