Dallas Morning News
Sunday, February 20, 1994
Police mourn colleague who died of heart attack    
Author: Tony Hartzel, Staff Writer of The Dallas Morning News

Dallas police officers were wearing strips of black tape across their badges Saturday in honor of another fallen comrade.
Senior Cpl. Royce Dale Dickey , 45, died while on duty late Friday, suffering a heart attack while working the evening shift at police headquarters. He later was pronounced dead at Baylor University Medical Center.
With his death, officers said, the Police Department has lost one of its strong, quiet leaders.
"I went to him for everything," said his supervisor, Sgt. Melba Martinez. "Every sergeant who was in there, every chief or lieutenant, they all had to go to him. No one knew the field of juvenile law as well as Cpl. Dickey ."
Detective Dickey , a 25-year department veteran, was a detective with the Youth and Family Crimes Division. Colleagues said Detective Dickey was the true definition of a police officer - honest and professional, and blessed with sound judgment.
Sgt. Martinez said he trained her seven years ago when she first arrived in the Youth Division. Eight months ago, she returned to supervise him. Little had changed, she said. "At the same time I was his sergeant, he was still my trainer," Sgt. Martinez said.
Detective Dickey also loved spending time with his wife and two young sons and going on summer vacations, said his sister-in-law, Mary Lois Smith.
"He was a real family man," Ms. Smith said. "He was totally into those kids. His idea of a good time was taking them to the park."
Detective Dickey graduated from high school in Sadler, Texas, near Sherman and attended Grayson County Community College for several years before moving to Dallas. He married his wife, Susie, in 1976.
Detective Dickey 's dry sense of humor and his offbeat attitude will be sorely missed, said another colleague, Detective Linda Williams.
"I don't think we can ever get used to it," she said of his death. "It's just going to be a void. He handled a volume of work that took two people to do, and then he would help the rest of us.
The Sherman native is survived by his wife and two sons, Todd and Justin, all of Garland; his parents, Dale and Fran Dickey of Sadler; and brother Mike Dickey of Dallas.
Services are scheduled for 12:30 p.m. Tuesday at Casa View Baptist Church, 2626 Gus Thomasson Road, Dallas. Burial will follow at 4 p.m. at Mount Tabor Cemetery in Sadler.

By Tillery H.R. No. 712
R E S O L U T I O N

WHEREAS, The men and women who pursue careers in the field of law enforcement in Texas are united by their pledge to provide safety and protection to their fellow Texans, even though the fulfillment of that vital commitment often places them in harm's way; and
WHEREAS, One such distinguished law enforcement officer was Senior Corporal Royce Dale Dickey, a valued member of the Dallas Police Department who lost his life in the line of duty on February 18, 1994, at the age of 45; and
WHEREAS, A 25 year veteran of the department, this outstanding officer was a detective with the Youth and Family Crimes Division and an expert in the field of juvenile law; during his exceptional career, he served the people of Dallas with distinction, earning the respect and admiration of both the local citizenry and his fellow officers; and
WHEREAS, Those who serve in the field of law enforcement are among the most dedicated of all public servants, for they realize that although their efforts may often place them in exceptional physical peril, that level of personal risk is necessary to ensure the safety of those they are sworn to protect; and
WHEREAS, Senior Corporal Royce Dale Dickey exemplified the spirit of self sacrifice that is at the core of every peace officer's pledge to provide for the public safety of everyone in the community; although his life has been tragically cut short, his memory will long endure in the hearts of all who were privileged to know him; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 74th Texas Legislature hereby pay tribute to the life of Senior Corporal Royce Dale Dickey of the Dallas Police Department and extend heartfelt sympathy to the members of his family: to his wife, Carolyn Sue Dickey; to his sons, Justin and Todd Dickey; to his parents, Dale and Fran Dickey; to his brother, Mike Dickey; to his mother-in-law, Eldee Martin; to his fellow officers; and to the many other friends and relatives of this exceptional man; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be prepared for the members of his family and that when the Texas House of Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of Senior Corporal Royce Dale Dickey.

www.legis.state.tx.us/tlodocs/74R/billtext/doc/HR00712I.doc