John M. (Jack) Dickenson III
1932 – 2021
Former Limoneira Chair, President and Chief Executive Officer John M. (Jack) Dickenson, III, passed away peacefully at home after a long illness. A lifelong Santa Paulan, Jack was born in Bardsdale on April 5, 1932, to parents John M. Dickenson, Jr. and Thelma Hollist Dickenson. Jack’s grandparents, John M. and Ida Belle Hawley Dickenson moved to their ranch in Saticoy from Carpinteria on their wedding day in 1886.
Jack is survived by daughter Nancy, of San Jose, and son John, of Casitas Springs; along with grandchildren: Max Dickenson, Amanda Dickenson, Alex Shoup, Vincent Moreno, Eric Shoup, and Randy Shoup, brother and sisters-in-law, Carter and Linda Elliott and Lyn Elliott. Jack leaves behind ten great-grandchildren and nine nieces and nephews. He will also be missed by dear companion, Patty Lowthorp, of Oxnard, and honorary daughter, Mary Humphries, of Nelson, New Zealand. He was predeceased by his parents, his wife, Casey, and sisters, Lois and Gwyn. Jack was blessed with many wonderful friends throughout his life. In his later years, he especially enjoyed a group of friends who met for dinner every Thursday night. In retirement, Jack traveled extensively and loved every minute.
Jack graduated from Santa Paula High School in 1950. He was a star athlete and captain of the legendary undefeated 1949 team. He attended UC Davis, where he continued to play football, and graduated from UCLA in 1955 with a degree in agriculture. It was at Davis where Jack met and fell in love with Casey. After a stint in the Army, he participated in the Sunkist management program and returned to Santa Paula, where he worked for Santa Paula Orange and the Ventura County Citrus Exchange before joining Limoneira as packing house manager in 1964. He rose through the ranks to become CEO in 1976. He was president of Fruit Growers Supply and served on the boards of Sunkist, Calavo, the Ventura County Citrus Growers committee and was vice-chair of Sunkist.
Active in the community, Jack was a Santa Paula Rotary member for more than 50 years, serving as president in 1974. He was a member and director of the Santa Paula Chamber of Commerce, the Ventura County Council of the Boy Scouts of America, the Ventura County chapter of the American Cancer Society, Interface and the Boys and Girls Club of Santa Paula. He loved being a member of Rancheros Vistadores, Campo Adolfo.
Jack especially loved children and dogs and would appreciate donations in his memory to the Boys and Girls Clubs of Santa Clara Valley (www.bgclubscv.org) and the Santa Paula Animal Rescue Center (www.santapaulaarc.org).
A memorial service for Jack will be held later this summer.
source: legacy.com