108-year-old Detroiter read the Free Press daily until her final weeks, family says
For as long as her family can recall, Helen Arneida Dickerson began each morning with a cup of coffee and the Detroit Free Press in hand, intently flipping through its pages.
A devoted mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother — Helen died in her Detroit home on Jan. 16, 2025, nearly two weeks after her 108th birthday.
"She literally stopped reading the paper within weeks of her passing," said her granddaughter, Rebecca Dickerson-Mosley. "She was the most healthy 108-year-old person that I'm aware of. She was very, very smart and loved to watch game shows, which kept her sharp."
Born in Pennsylvania in 1917, Helen made Detroit her home in the mid-1940s, where she spent most of her life, her family told the Free Press. She was married to Thomas Dickerson Sr., one of Detroit's first Black police officers, who died in 2015.
"My grandfather made sure she was able to be cared for in her own home until the day she passed away," Dickerson-Mosley said. "He made sure, even when he was gone, that she would have the means to provide for herself."
"He pampered her," added Thomas Dickerson Jr., Helen's only son and Dickerson-Mosely's father. "She never even pumped her own gas."
Please say a prayer for my family. My 108 year old grandmother has transitioned. She lived such a wonderful life filled...
Posted by Rebecca Dickerson Mosley on Thursday, January 16, 2025
Helen remained under the care of her daughter, Linda Dickerson, and her son, Thomas Jr., until her final breath.
Although she was long retired, Helen worked for the Unemployment Insurance Agency when it was still known as the Michigan Employment Security Commission. Her family said she had an affinity for the job, helping people find employment.
In her free time, she was a passionate piano player and an active member of a Detroit bridge club, where she played until the COVID-19 pandemic hit, according to her family. In her younger years, she traveled across the country to compete in bridge tournaments. Music, however, remained a constant in her life. Despite developing neuropathy in her fingers, she continued to play the piano whenever she had the chance.
"She was very faithful and loved to play her gospel music on the piano. My aunt and father would always pull out the piano for her and she'd play for us. Just a couple months ago, she was playing for some visitors from church," Dickerson-Mosley said. "She tried to teach me how to play, too. I learned a little something, but I wasn't disciplined enough."
Helen lived through two world wars, the Great Depression, the civil rights movement—including the Detroit uprising—and, more recently, the COVID-19 pandemic, all with quiet strength.
"People in her age group processed trauma silently," her granddaughter said. "Unfortunately, we have never heard her speak about ... what it was like for her."
More: Iconic images by legendary Free Press photographer Tony Spina capture Michigan history
But even at 108, Helen remained aware of her loved ones until her final days.
"Up until my last visit with her, around Christmas, she was able to say, 'Hey, Becky,'" said Dickerson-Mosley, who lives in South Carolina but visited her grandmother at least two to three times a year.
Helen is survived by two of her three children, two grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren. Her eldest daughter, Anita Dickerson, died last year at age 88.
Funeral services were held last Thursday at Greater Grace Temple in Detroit, with arrangements entrusted to O. H. Pye, III Funeral Home.
More: Detroit City Councilman Fred Durhal III announces run for mayor
Nour Rahal is a trending and breaking news reporter. Email her: nrahal@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @nrahal1.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Lifelong Detroit Free Press reader, Helen Dickerson, dies at 108
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