Virginia Anne Haldeman was born to William Fred Haldeman and Ruth Davis Haldeman on June 5, 1932 in Eugene, Oregon. She left this mortal existence on April 3, 2022 at Whatcom Hospice House in Bellingham, Washington.
Virginia and her parents moved from Cottage Grove, Oregon to Seattle, Washington in 1942 during the early months of World War II. She graduated from Roosevelt High School in 1950 and attended the University of Washington where she was a member of Kappa Delta Sorority and W-Key Women's Honorary.
She married Donald Hood Dickinson in 1952 at Kelly Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas during the Korean Conflict. She received her bachelor’s degree in Home Economics Education from UW in 1955 and initially taught at H.B. Ellison Jr. High in Wenatchee, WA. As her family grew, she was a substitute teacher in the Highline School District in South King County. In 1965, the family moved to Diablo Valley in California where Virginia taught at Pleasant Hill High School.
After receiving her masters and doctoral degrees, she was on faculty at California State University, Chico, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR and University of Nevada, Reno. She retired from the latter institution as Professor Emeritus in 1997. She resided in Mt. Vernon, WA from 1997 to 2006 when she moved to Bellingham.
Virginia is survived by two children, Don Dickinson and Rick Dickinson, 8 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her daughters, Karin Dickinson and Barbara Dickinson.
Her family will gather for a private remembrance at a later date. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made in her honor to the First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and designated for Week of Compassion or to the American Cancer Society. You may share memories at
www.westfordfuneralhome.com
.