Dewey Madison Strickland

Dewey Madison Strickland went to be with Jesus and the other angels on the afternoon of July 1st at Maury Regional Hospital in Columbia, TN after a lengthy illness. Dewey was born in Smithfield, NC on June 1st 1926 to the late Leland and Leila Creech Strickland, the 2nd of 6 children, all who predeceased him, the oldest brother just 2 months ago at the age of 90. Dewey touched the lives of many people, always had a big smile and hug for everyone and he maintained his cheerful demeanor to the end. Dewey lived most of his adult life on Merritt Island, FL. He built his unique home on stilts on the Banana River with the help of family and friends and was very proud of it. He loved to fish and run his boats off the 300 foot dock and was also an avid hunter. Dewey held several Master’s degrees and was a pioneer in the space program and began working for Martin Marietta during the Titan I program. Dewey worked for Martin Marietta for over 30 years was running the ground station at the time of his retirement.

Dewey had many interests and hobbies in addition to fishing and hunting. He was a charter boat captain, a pilot, a member of the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary where he taught weather and safe boating courses, and also served as a science fair judge. Dewey and his first wife Margaret were very involved with missing children as their own grandson Danny was kidnapped at age 4 and finally found at age 6. Danny later died in auto accident at age 15, but Dewey and Margaret dedicated their lives to continuing to support the efforts of locating missing children. In August of 2002, Dewey lost his beloved wife Margaret, of over 50 years, to cancer. The following year, in August of 2003, he lost his daughter Kathy in a tragic accident and the next day his son David succumbed to cancer. Through all these tragedies Dewey’s faith and support from family and friends has sustained him.

Dewey was a founding member of Grace Methodist Church and loved to talk about the days when church was held at the drive -in- theater in the mall. He met his present wife Fran at a grief support group at Grace and they were married there in 2007. In 2010 Dewey's kidneys began to fail and they moved to Tennessee 3 years ago to be near his son. He was on peritoneal dialysis for over a year but they continued to travel back to his beloved Florida home until just this year when his health could no longer handle the long trip.

Dewey will be missed by many!!! He is survived by his wife Fran; youngest son Tom and wife Cheryl; step-daughter Kelly Lombard and husband Cal; step-daughter Theresa Glaberson; step-son Rusty Knapp and fiancée Tracy McCabe; mother-in-law Jeanne Dailey ; grandchildren Cary Cox Jr; Temple Dampier and husband Kenny; Krysi Smith and husband Brenden, Heidi Dupont and husband Kevin, Dewey Cox and wife Julie, Jacob Ellis and wife Melissa, Lee Strickland and fiancée Samantha Davis, Tahni Strickland, and step granddaughter Tanya Bishop; sisters-in-law Kay Breitenfeld, Carolyn Strickland, Joanne Strickland, Edith Strickland, Sally Ballard, Carol Dailey, Kathy Ballard and brother-in-law Jim Ballard; many nieces and nephews; son in law Cary Cox Sr; ; special friends Kathy and Bill Case, Kent and Barb Gunderson, and countless other family and friends whom were blessed to know him.

Friends and family are invited to attend a Memorial Service on Wednesday, July 8th beginning at 9AM at Grace United Methodist on Merritt Island. After the services, we will meet in Grace's reception hall for coffee and refreshments. Following the services and reception, an announcement will be made to begin the procession to Brevard Memorial Gardens in Cocoa on US 1 to lay Dewey to rest next to Danny and Margaret. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in Dewey's honor to one of the following: The Missing Children's Clearing House, The National Kidney Foundation, or Grace United Methodist Church.