James Thomas Dickey departed this life on January 26, 2024 at home, in Portland, Oregon. Jim was a resident of Portland for most of his retirement, almost 25 years.

Jim was born to Eugene Arthur Dickey and Agnes Powers Dickey on December 28, 1933 in Key West, Florida where his father, a career Navy person, was stationed. His youth spent living in different navel port towns, Jim was present at the time of the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Hawaii in December 1941. Traveling with his mother and siblings by ship and train to Salem, Massachusetts in March 1942, Jim would spend the next six years there. In 1947, the Eugene Dickey family moved to Haines City, Florida. Mr. Dickey, a Florida native, had inherited a home.

After graduating from Haines City High School, Jim joined the United States Navy in September 1953. Later, Jim graduated from Marquette University (Milwaukee, Wisconsin) with an Asian Studies degree.

On June 25, 1961, Jim married Angela Marie St Arnaud in Munster, Indiana. From this union were produced Margaret Mary, John and Michael. The Jim Dickey family located to San Jose, California in 1964. Jim's career as a newspaper reporter and columnist with the San Jose Mercury News began and would last until his retirement.

In a June 18, 1989 story in the Santa Cruz Sentinel entitled "Gay men gather again to recall the old days" about the United States' first gay men's support group that formed in 1979 in Santa Cruz, California, Jim was quoted as saying "I had just left a wife, a suburban house, a swimming pool and 2.3 children. After I got divorced, I moved here and came out. [] When you first come out you're really alone". Jim would continue to be active in causes he supported until his retirement.

Jim was an excellent cook and loved to grow roses. His home was full of art and literature. Jim is survived by his long term partner, Richard M Lidzbarski and their beloved canine, Mollie.