Dicksie Cribb

Dicksie Johnston Cribb, 64, of Spartanburg passed away on Thursday, August 10, 2017, at her home following a brief illness. Born on February 5, 1953, in Spartanburg, SC, she was the daughter of the late Troy Kenneth and Dicksie Brown Cribb. She graduated from Spartanburg High School and Converse College. Her education included studies in London and Taiwan. After college, Dicksie worked in the communications department at Clemson University, where she produced and hosted television shows for 4-H members, as well as other youth programs. She later held influential political appointments in the Reagan administration in Washington, DC. She served as a key official at the Department of Labor and helped oversee the development and implementation of the Jobs Training Partnership Act, a Reagan initiative that emphasized private sector training expertise. At the Federal Communications Commission, she served as Special Assistant to the Chairman during a period when the American broadcasting system grew from four networks to scores of channels. She was well known in the Reagan administration as one of the president's most loyal and fervent supporters. Dicksie returned to Spartanburg to work at Flagstar and then the SC School for the Deaf and Blind. She adored working with the school's children. She learned sign language and was known for her extraordinary empathy. Like her mother, Dicksie loved music and the theater. She made her operatic debut at age four as "Trouble" in Madame Butterfly at Converse's Twitchell Auditorium. She loved working backstage for the Spartanburg Little Theater, volunteering as props mistress for many productions. She also sang in the choir at Trinity Methodist Church for many years. Dicksie's most memorable productions were the ones she directed for family Christmas Eve gatherings. Every year, she gently prodded relatives young and old into performing, sometimes accompanying them on the baritone ukulele. Dicksie was a wonderful writer and took great pride in being published in a Hub City Writers Project anthology. She was the family genealogist and delighted in uncovering ancestors' histories. She loved cooking for her family and was famous for her baked artichoke dip, caviar pie, and homemade fudge. An animal lover, Dicksie was rarely without a dog from the animal shelter or a cat she had befriended. She was never happier than when sitting on the screen porch at her beloved Lake Summit with a good book, her dog Mamie, and a cup of coffee. Dicksie dedicated many years of her life to taking care of her mother, an act of devotion for which her family will always remember her with loving gratitude. Dicksie is survived by her siblings Kenneth Cribb, Jr., Billy Cribb, and Evelyn Cribb Ritchie with her husband Jim, all of Spartanburg, as well as numerous nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles, and cousins. A memorial service will be conducted at 11:00 AM Monday, August 14, 2017, at Trinity United Methodist Church, 626 Norwood Street, Spartanburg, SC 29302, conducted by the Rev. Neal Woods. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Walker Foundation at the SC School for the Deaf and Blind School, 355 Cedar Springs Road, Spartanburg, SC 29302 www.walkerfdn.org or Trinity United Methodist Church. An online guest register is available at www.floydmortuary.com Floyd's North Church Street Chapel To send flowers or a memorial gift to the family of Dicksie Cribb please visit our Sympathy Store.