Benjamin Thomas Dickinson

On Thursday, January 1, 2015, Benjamin Thomas Dickinson's long struggle with the
demon/disease of drug addiction ended when God brought him home.
Ben was born in Flowood, Mississippi on February 10, 1983. He and his family moved to Gulfport where Ben graduated with honors from Harrison Central High School, and played trumpet in the award-winning marching band.
Ben was a star soccer player. Beginning at age 5, he played in the Harrison County
Recreation League, and participated in the Gulf Coast Great Day of Soccer where he scored near
the top every year. His under-eight team won the Mississippi State Soccer Championship.
Ben was a great chef. After working for ten months at Yosemite National Park, he
attended and graduated from Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts. He worked in the
banquet kitchen and the Tsunami at the Venetian in Las Vegas. After Hurricane Katrina, he
returned to his beloved Gulf Coast to help with repairs to his home Church, Grace Memorial
Baptist. He worked at Thirty-Two in Biloxi and The Chimneys in Gulfport, until the oil spill.
He decided that he wanted to be an electrician, and he had completed a year of the electrical
technology program at Hinds Community College.
Ben was a loyal friend. Wherever he went, he made good, lifelong friends. He loved his
classmates from high school, his friends from Las Vegas, and those he met wherever he went.
He was a loyal, compassionate, giving person who always went to the rescue of the weak and
Ben was a big-time Saints fan. He loved Mardi Gras, New Orleans, the parades, the
beads, and he loved to curl up on the sofa with his dogs, Molly and Rocket, and watch Drew
Brees lead his Saints-win or lose. Always a loyal fan.
Ben was a proud brother and uncle. He loved his three brothers and sister, and his
nine nephews and nieces, and he always wanted to make them proud. And they loved him and
Ben was a wonderful son. He loved his mom and dad, and they loved him
unconditionally and stood by his side and prayed for him during his years of struggles, successes,
Most importantly, Ben was a Christian. Through the ministry of Chris Jones at Grace
Memorial, Ben came to know and accept Jesus as his Lord and Savior. As we struggle here with
grief and pain, Ben now rejoices in the peace and happiness of his new home.
Ben is survived by his parents, Jess and Janet Dickinson; his brother, Samuel Dickinson
(Irene) from Gulfport; his brother, Michael Dickinson (Siobhan) and their children, Natalie,
Aidan, and Claire, from Gulfport; his brother, Jacob Dickinson (Patty) and their children, Jake,
Josh, and Drew, from Mountain Home, Arkansas; and his sister, Nancy (Matt) Bunch and their
children, Abby, Ethan, and Aaron, from Springdale, Arkansas. Ben was the grandson of the late
Ralph and Ruth Holiman from Magnolia Arkansas, the late Leonard Dickinson from Little Rock,
Arkansas, and the late Laura Crumpler from Magnolia, Arkansas. He also is survived by
numerous aunts, uncles, and cousins.
The funeral service will be held at Grace Memorial Baptist Church in Gulfport at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, January 4, with visitation one hour before the service. Interment will follow at Floral Hills Memorial Gardens, Gulfport.
The family asks that those who prefer memorials in lieu of flowers please consider a contribution to South Mississippi Kairos Outside, P.O. Box 2333, Gulfport, MS 39505, or Home of Grace, Vancleave, MS.
An online obituary may viewed and memories shared at www.riemannfamily.com.