Elmer "Doug" Douglas Dickens

Elmer “Doug” Douglas Dickens grew up in the Big Tyler and Cross lanes area of West Virginia. As a young boy, he ran a paper route on foot in the early mornings when it was so cold that kind strangers let him inside to warm up. In the summertime, he loved to ride his bike and used the small savings he had to buy model air plane kits, later moving on to larger model airplanes and ships. He graduated from Nitro High School, where he had a math teacher who saw his potential and encouraged him to further his education. Doug enrolled in Morris Harvey College and while at Morris, he met his wife, Helen Lively (now Dickens). He took classes at WV State college including ROTC with the intention of joining the Airforce, but when the ROTC program was removed he chose to return to Morris Harvey College where he graduated. While attending Morris, a professor encouraged him to further his education and helped him obtain a NASA scholarship for a Grad program at West Virginia University. He and his wife Helen moved to Morgantown, WV. During grad school, he and his wife celebrated the birth of their sons, Tony Dickens, and Mark Dickens. Doug graduated Cum Laude in his masters in Math, Chemistry, and Physics. He went on to earn a Doctorate in Physics at West Virginia University.

After graduating, he was employed by BF Goodrich in Ohio, where he researched and received many patents. One such patent was regarding fire retardants, such as the non-flammable wallpaper used in many hotels today. Another famous patent he was responsible for was the 3D printing machine that many companies use for printing metal and plastic parts. Also among the many patents were stents and shunts that are used to save lives in the medical community. Elmer is in the Inventor’s Hall of Fame in Akron, OH. Elmer worked at BF Goodrich for over thirty years and retired as Vice President of Research and Development with the rank of Senior Fellow.

Personally, Elmer (Doug) lived in Richfield, OH with his beloved family. He enjoyed many sports, specifically bowling, basketball, and his favorite – golf. He received many trophies in all of the sports he played. Elmer and Helen attended Akron Baptist Temple for 40 years with their sons, and taught Sunday school for several years. After retiring from BF Goodrich, they moved to Florida to be close to Tony’s family, and later moved up to Michigan to be close to Mark’s family. Elmer and Helen celebrated 61 years of a beautiful marriage. He is survived by their two sons: Tony, married to Sherri, and Mark, married to Cindy; grandchildren: Matthew, married to Megan, Jeffrey, married to Teelah, Dustin, Dylan, and Sierra Klanke, married to Josh. He also has four great granddaughters, Elmer Douglas Dickens lived to be 81 years old and has had a lasting impact on today’s society, and a familial legacy that will last many generations to come.

Celebration of Doug's life will be 1:00 P.M. Saturday, January 27, 2024 at Tyler Mountain Funeral Home with Pastor Joey Kennedy officiating. Burial will follow in Grandview Memorial Park, Dunbar.

Gathering of family and friends will be from 11 until time of service at the funeral home.

In lieu of flowers memorial contributions may be made to Hospice.

Online condolences can be sent to the family at www.tylermountainfuneralhome.com