Shot Dickens

1 Peter 5:10   But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you. Wendell ‘Shot’ Dickens, age 77, of Mountain City, Tennessee, passed away peacefully at his home surrounded by his family on Friday, June 1, 2018.  Shot was born on September 3, 1940 to the late Bert and Vena Taylor Dickens.  In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his loving wife and best friend of 52 years, Mary Ann Dickens, who passed away on March 10, 2015, one infant child, one grandchild, sister and brother-in-law, Mary Ann Guy and her husband Burl, sister-in-law, Oma Eller Norris and husband Lee, brothers-in-law, Lewis McElyea, Delmer Eller, John Brown and several nieces and nephews. Shot was an honest, hardworking, and humble man.  He lived a very simple life and was not a man of worldly possessions but was rich in ways that no money could measure, faith and family.  First and foremost, he was a true Servant of God, who lived each day according to God’s holy word.  He enjoyed talking and discussing God, the Bible, and his faith with family and friends.  Shot treated everyone with dignity, respect, compassion and love.  He farmed for many years and loved ‘working up his vegetables with Mary’.  They especially loved making kraut.  He also loved to work with wood and was known by many near and far for his craftsmanship of furniture making and carpentry.  He built many homes in Johnson County and North Carolina and passed this trait on to his sons. Those that had the privilege and honor of truly knowing Shot also knew that he loved to make people laugh.  He loved to tell tall tales, whether it was about a fictional character that he named ‘Ralph Rotten’, to the ghosts in the woods behind his sisters’ homes, to his little and ‘invisible’ dog named ‘Spot’, which only he, his grandchildren and a few special nieces and nephews could see.  Not only did he like to tell a good tale, Shot also loved to pull a good joke and prank and anyone that could pull one on him, well, that was even better, because Shot was sure to use it on someone else later.    Shot’s pride and joy during the last years has been his granddaughter, MaKenzie and great grandsons, Brayden, Bobby, Tucker and new arrival Little Rickey.  Though he was ill and could not play with them as he would have liked, Shot had a special bond with each of them.    He was a member of Pleasant View Christian Church. Those left to cherish Shot’s memories include his loving children:  Kenneth Dickens and wife Carla, Barbara 'Sis' Long, Kim Taylor and husband Bobby, Eddie Dickens, Johnny Dickens and wife Amy, and Annie Dickens and friend Dallas Keenan; sisters, June Stanley and Lou McElyea; brother and sister-in-law, Ira and Louise Dickens; grandchildren:  Nancy Reece, Trevor Reece and fiancé  Heather and her children, Jaxson and Riley, Andy Lewis and wife Brittney, Mary Sexton and friend Rickey Barber, Amanda Long and friend Frederick, Matthew Dickens, MaKenzie Dickens and Colten Grindstaff; great grandchildren:  Brayden Dickens, Bobby Sexton, Tucker Long, Little Rickey Barber, Harper Lewis; sister-in-law, Myrtle Brown; brothers-in-law:  Bob Eller and wife JoAnn and Jack Eller and wife June; special niece who was always there with a lending hand:  Melissa ‘Sis’ (Guy) Taylor; special friends:  Mike Austin, Richard Hammons, Mike Lewis, Ted Smith, Jim McKinnis, Missy's Bob Taylor, Stephanie and Josh Jones and their children, Mattie, Jamie and Brock; many more special nieces and nephews, his church families and many, many more special people.  A Service Celebrating Shot’s Life will be conducted at 8:00 p.m. Monday, June 4, 2018 at the Pleasant View Christian Church with Gary Bowman and Neal Reagan officiating. Special music will be provided by Josh and Stephanie Jones.  The family will receive friends from 6-8:00 p.m. prior to the service.  Graveside Service and Interment will be held at 11:00 a.m. Tuesday, June 5, 2018 from the Reece Memorial Cemetery. Active Pallbearers will be Shot’s sons:  Kenneth, Eddie, and Johnny, son-in-law, Bobby Taylor, nephew, Wayne Guy and Dallas Kennan and Richard Hammons.  Honorary pallbearers are all of Shot’s nephews. One of Shot’s favorite scriptures was Psalm 39:4  Lord, make me to know mine end, and the measure of my days, what it is: that I may know how frail I am.  In lieu of flowers, Shot would want you to help someone in need and spend true quality time with your family and friends and simply be kind to one another.  It would bring so much joy to him to know that someone in need was helped in his memory.  The family would like to express their sincere appreciation and gratitude to Dr. James Shine, who was not only Shot’s physician but was a true friend, Nurse Kathleen and staff at Johnson County Medical Group, Staff of Amedisys Home Health and Amedisys Hospice, and Gail  Miller for all of their sincere care, compassion and support through the years.  To his nurse Stephanie Jones, ‘thank you’ is not enough; you have been a light in our lives and we are forever grateful, and to Aunt Myrtle, you will never know how much we appreciate and love you for helping us take care of Dad.    At other times, the family will receive friends at the home, 407 Redbrush Road, Mountain City, TN 37683. Condolences may be sent to the family through our website at www.mountaincityfh.com. The family of Shot Dickens has entrusted his services to Mountain City Funeral Home, 224 S. C