Lois Aline Dickinson

Oklahoma, and departed for heaven from Oklahoma City, OK, on December 27, 2022, at the age of 95.

She is survived by her 4 children, and 1 sister: John Henry Ford & wife Karen of Oklahoma City; Brenda Marlene Heilaman of Longview, Texas; Linda Darlene Burgess of Shawnee, Oklahoma; and Mark Edward Ford & wife Beth, of Edmond, Oklahoma. Her surviving sister is Arnetta Darlene Liebegott, of Oklahoma City.

She was predeceased by 6 siblings: Mildred Ileane Dixon Riley, James Hugh Dixon & wife Viola, Benton Arnett Dixon & wife Virginia, Raymond Avery Dixon & wife Reba, Orville Carroll (Chink) Dixon, and Jesse Garner (Skinny) Dixon.

Her occupation, aka, life’s work, would be listed as: dedicated wife; devoted homemaker; loving mother; faithful daughter; dear sister; Grandmother Supreme; and beloved Sunday School Teacher to lots of children.

Her hobbies: Ruthless dominoes player (youngest son’s perspective); and she had a passion for keeping the streets of Surrey Hills clean by picking up trash regularly. She was proud of Surrey Hills! She will always be remembered by her grandkids for her homemade Melba toast and spiced tea.

She met, and later married, Leo Edward Ford while working at the Blue Bird Café on Reno Street in Oklahoma City back on July 28, 1944. They set up home in Oklahoma City where he was a realtor/land developer. This is where they raised their 4 children. Leo Ford passed away in 1997.

Our mother was introduced to Jesus Christ and accepted Him as her Savior at a Billy Graham Crusade in Oklahoma City, that was held at the State Fairgrounds Stadium in 1956. From there she dedicated her life to raising her kids while pointing them to Jesus and making sure they had every opportunity to be in church as often as possible. As grandkids came along, she poured her life into each one, loving them and encouraging them to “Stand tall for Jesus!”. She was so proud of them all and carried their pictures to prove it. She would not let distance keep her from visiting those grandkids, wherever they were. We’re pretty sure she carried a card in her purse that displayed a car with two smoking tires and a motto that read: “HAVE CAR, WILL TRAVEL!”. And travel she did, until one day she handed over her keys to her son, John, and declared “I’m done.” LOL, we will never know what caused her to make that final declaration, but we’re pretty sure there was some highspeed event that Jesus used to make a big impression on her!

Since Dad was the developer of the Surrey Hills Addition, Mom began pressing him to set aside land for a church in Surrey Hills. With his permission, she organized the first Surrey Hills Easter Sunrise Service, which was held annually to the east of the current 7-Eleven Convenience Store, backing up to the creek. Eventually, land was sold to the Capital Baptist Association and Northwest Baptist Church began the process of preparing for a mission church to be established in the current location of Surrey Hills Baptist Church. Until the church building was completed, our church met in the Surrey Hills Elementary School. Mom’s best years were spent teaching the love of Jesus to all the children that passed through SHBC in its early years. They called her “Miss Jean”, and she made sure they knew she loved them. We trust that many of those kids will recall her hugs and her gentle spirit as they smile when that memory passes by. She touched a lot of lives in that church.

For a look at the livelier side of our mother, our oldest brother, John, put together a video that shares some of her experiences growing up, as well as highlights as an adult. She loved adventure, whether it was at the beach or riding on a motorcycle. Dad and mom rode a motorcycle all around the country, and at one point dad purchased two new Yamaha 350 twin motorcycles, and she actually drove one for a short time. But she preferred being the back seat rider and getting the better view of the scenery. At the end of the video you get to see her last motorcycle ride, which of course she thoroughly enjoyed!

Mom leaves us with precious memories of hearing “Hi Honey!” every time we walked in her door. And when we asked her how she was feeling, she always smiled and stated, “I feel great!”, even though we knew she didn’t. She read her Bible constantly and sang, hummed or tapped out hymns, right up until she could no longer keep her eyes open. Our hearts are blessed with the memory of her sweet smile and kind and gentle spirit. What a heritage she has passed on to her family!

We will have a Celebration of Life Service at Surrey Hills Baptist Church, 12421 North Mustang Road, Yukon, Oklahoma 73099, on January 21, 2023, at 10:30.