EVANSVILLE, Ind. — Ronald “Rod” Dean Dickens, 70, of Evansville, passed from this life on Friday, Dec. 1, 2017. Rod was born on his parents’ farm in Ohio County, Kentucky, in 1946, the third son of Thomas L. Dickens and Anna Virginia (Burch) Dickens.
He worked as a brick mason in Chicago, Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Florida, and Indiana, sometimes making as much money betting on how many brick he could lay in an hour as from the jobs themselves.
Rod read Louis L’Amour westerns, lived off black coffee and Marlboro cigarettes, and sang often–usually the songs of Hank Williams and Elvis Presley.
He never passed an opportunity for an ornery joke or prank, and didn’t meet many people he didn’t charm.
He is survived by brothers Larry Dickens, Tommy Dickens, and Joey Dickens; sisters, Gwen Bennett, Vickie Morris, Patsy Whistle, Sandra Haynes, and Scarlet Johnson; his sons, Timothy Konrath, Tye Dickens, and Christopher Dickens; his daughters, Angie Konrath-Weisfuss, Rachael Cunningham, Faith Dickens, and Rebekah Dickens Ohara; and by many in-laws, nieces, nephews, cousins, and grandchildren. His son, Rodney Dickens, a phenom horse jockey, died in 1991.
Visitation will be held at Cecil Funeral Home in Whitesville, Kentucky, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 5, with a service following.
A private burial service will take place on a later date.