Edgar
Farnsworth
Dickson, Jr.
Edgar Farnsworth Dickson, Jr., known to family and friends as “Mr. Eddie” and to his grandchildren as “Gaga,” died on December 7, 2025. He is widely remembered as a kind gentleman, storyteller, devoted church member, and good friend.
Ed was born in January 1932 in the Dickson ancestral homestead “Spring Valley Farm,” Second Creek, WV, to a large, multi-generational family. The farmhouse and its land remained a large part of Ed’s heart and soul throughout his life. Ed attended the two room Fairview School and graduated from Union High School. He went on to Virginia Tech from 1949 to 1953 and enlisted in the Army for two years after graduation. After a short stint with Virginia Agricultural Service, he joined State Farm in 1958 and retired as Claims Superintendent in 1994.
Ed married the love of his life, Mary Southgate Hearon, in 1956. They had known each other for most of their lives and fell in love as young adults. Ed and May lived in Rocky Mount, VA, and Logan, WV, before settling in Richmond in 1962. They lived in the West End, South Side, Fan, and Church Hill. “May ‘n Ed” were an exciting couple and became an icon among those who knew them. They were regulars in Richmond’s burgeoning, hip restaurant scene. In retirement, they traveled in Europe, Africa, Mexico, and the US, often on bikes. May predeceased Ed in 2023.
Family life was Ed’s priority. He lavished love, affection, and country wisdom on his two children and their families. He is survived by daughter, Charlotte Mason Dickson and her husband, Jack Macy, of Berkeley, CA, and their children, Eliza Macy and Lydia Macy of Oakland, CA; his son, Fanning Hearon Dickson and wife, Pamela Baldecchi Dickson, of Annapolis, MD, and their daughters and sons-in-law, Dr. Kate Dickson and Dr. Jake Bowling of New York City, Mary Southgate Dickson Simms and Peter Simms of Raleigh, NC, and Caroline Dickson of Denver, CO.
Ed was a faithful member of St. Bartholomew’s and St. Paul’s Episcopal Churches. His and May’s social life revolved around church friends. He volunteered for many years with the Diocese of Virginia’s Camps and Conferences Committee, which runs programs at Shrine Mont in Orkney Springs, VA. He volunteered with Meals on Wheels for two decades.
A celebration of life will be held at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 815 East Grace Street, Richmond, VA 23219 on January 7, 2026, at 11:00 a.m. Donations can be made to St. Paul’s in his honor.
Information submitted by Bliley Funeral Home & Cremation Center in Richmond, VA.
