David Dickey died at home in Eastsound on December 10, 2024. He orbited the Sun for 84 years. David was born in Watsonville, CA, and spent his early years in El Centro, CA. He graduated from El Centro High School in 1958. He relocated to San Luis Obispo where he attended California Polytechnic State University and majored in Electronic Engineering, receiving his B.S. in 1962. During college, he drove for the county ambulance service, and his was the first Cal Poly graduating class to have been taught transistors.
David married Carol Ann Strickland of San Luis Obispo, CA on September 8, 1962. They moved to Florida briefly, then returned west to Los Angeles, CA for careers before starting their family in 1969. He worked as an electronics designer and eventually as engineering manager supporting international aerospace accounts. A highlight of his engineering career was developing the magnetic core memory system for the on-board computer of the Voyager I and II spacecrafts, currently traveling beyond our solar system, farther from Earth than any other human artifact.
In 1977, the family moved to San Luis Obispo, CA, where David would go on to start a series of electronics manufacturing companies, producing his accessory designs for the early portable PC and laptop industries. He was an active, local Cal Poly alumni who supported many University events and causes, and occasionally taught upper-level courses for the Electronic Engineering Department. He had a passion for flying, built and flew a single-seat experimental airplane, and was a twenty-year member of the SLO County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue Aero Squadron.
David and Carol began moving to Eastsound in 2006 and landed fully in 2019. They were seen together frequently at Orcas High School soccer matches and Orcas Center music events, especially the outdoor concerts on the Eastsound Village Green.
David is preceded in death by his twin sister Debra Ann. He is survived by his wife Carol; sons Kevin, Jay, and Loren; grandchildren Vanessa, Maximilian, Thea, and Lincoln. The family wishes to thank the Orcas Island Hospice team for their support, generosity and kindness.