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These are some of the thoughts and remembrance of Jeff that I got in the cards and letters after his death.
Rarely in my life has such sadness filled my heart. All day I've been thinking of Jeff and all the memories I have of him. He was my friend and I'm going to miss seeing him and hearing his laugh. There are givers and takers in this world. Jeff was a giver. He always made time to help people and he was always true to his friends. I don't know why bad things happen to good people. I don't understand why Jeff spent those years in prison for a crime he did not commit.
Jeff's life had value and I will always cherish the friendship Jeff and I had. I'm proud he was my friend. Jeff told me many times how much he loved you Shirley and his little girl. Jeff faced a lot of hardships in his life but he was blessed to have you for his mother. He knew he was blessed to have you too. I'm sure Jeff is in heaven now because he made peace with the Lord. He wouldn't come back even if he could cause his suffering is over and he is with Jesus. Shirley, wherever you go or whatever you do, I'll never forget you or Jeff.
May God bless and keep you,
Nick Sutton
Jeff's absence will be hard to take. Of ALL the prisoners on death row Jeff was the one most invaluable to us. Jeff did more than any inmate to raise the quality of life for those of us awaiting execution. I'm not exaggerating Jeff's support multitude of activities we had were courteous of Jeff Dicks advocacy. I'm sure you were the power behind the thrown so to speak, and this is bad news that Jeff is gone. We have lost our premier advocate...there is no one else in here who can command the skills assets, abilities and resources that Jeff could. Jeff would stand up to the prison officials about us. Most inmates won't do that and those that would, the prison officials would find some way to neutralize them. But they could not touch Jeff.
Jeff was essentially immune from whatever pressure or tactic for one reason or another. For example the guards couldn't retaliate when Jeff's advocacy displeased them because you would quickly discover it. You and Jeff were quite a team. I remain in your service Richard Taylor
God blessed us all with you and Jeff for all these years and gave us the gift of friendship and loyalty to survive this weary path. We know Jeff is looking down on us all and giving us the strength and courage to make it thought another day. That was his way of life and he taught us to to follow his lead. We will forever miss our friend and brother....Ron Cauthern
May God be with you Shirley and your family...may God speed Jeff to the light and enter him into Heaven. I know there will be a bright star in the Heaven's tonight. My heart is sad, Jeff was my dear friend. May God be with you Shirley and your family...may God speed Jeff to the light and enter him into Heaven. I know there will be a bright star in the Heaven's tonight. My heart is sad, Jeff was my dear friend. God help us to deal with this terrible loss... Rest in peace our angel...
Richard Austin
Jeff was my friend, my brother for over half his lifetime. Your tragedy is truly mine.
Jeff will never be forgotten......Tim Morris
When I think of Jeff, I saw a man who was in the wrong place at the wrong time. I saw a man who was warm and friendly toward everyone. I saw a man that always seemed to have a good word to say, who really cared about people. I saw a man of outstanding character and devotion, a man of high intellect with the ability to use it to help others.
But out of the wonderful qualities that I saw, the thing which haunts my closing thoughts is that I saw a man in great pain, a man almost beyond the point of frustration at the distorted methods and perverse concepts of a legal system gone mad. And even now, I ask myself the question, where is this man's fault?
What could one such as him could possibly done to join us here in the brotherhood of the doomed? But he gave me hope. Michael Bush Tn Death Row
We in Canada are very sad over the death of your son Jeff in the Tennessee Death Row Prison. I send you my heart felt condolesences and you and your family are in my thoughts and prayers. I am a member of CCADP - Canadian Coalition Against the Death Penalty. We are very disappointed in the American Justice System and very sad at the state of affairs in the prisons in America.
To show these people the wrong they have done, you should sue them. Jeff is now with the Lord and not suffering anymore and someday you will see him again. I believe 100% in his innocence and I have viewed his web site quite often. The one thing I am glad of is that he is no longer in their hands to abuse and ridicule. What I have read of him gives me great respect for him and you.
"Free At Last"
By Brenda Thomas"God saw that you were tired, So He took you by the hand And said, " Son its time to rest now" Here in the promised land. You spent your life on earth, Helping those in need.
You taught them its ok to pray. You taught them to believe. You didn't let the prison walls, Make you a bitter man. You always thought of others, You lent a helping hand.
They couldn't break your spirit, Although they often tried. You fought for what you believed in, So others wouldn't be denied.God chose a job for you, That most men did not want. Your compassion let you reach the men, That the rest of the world forgot. You gave them hope and kindness. You gave them strength and peace. And without you to guide them, many would not see. But now its time for you to rest, You've earned your wings, my Son. Your loved ones will join us Here, When their time on earth is done."
Jeff will live in our hearts forever. His kind and thoughtful ways, his compassion for others, his golden heart that put others first regardless of his own needs, will never be forgotten. I am proud of the way he handled life and the obstacles that were put in his way. He didn't become bitter or cold, he made the most of what life had dealt him. I have always been proud of you Jeff. Now it's time for you to rest. Love Always, Aunt Bren
I can only be proud to have had such a wonderful Brother. Reading these testimonies from the so called, worst of the worst. Societies out casts and hardened death row prisoners. I know Jeff was not only a wonderful Brother to me but to all you guys on the row.
Your words convey a deep love, admiration and a tremendous loss that we will not soon recover from. Jeff sent this to me a long time ago and I just can't help but feel he wants me to pass it on to the brothers he left behind on TN death row. "Why God Created Brothers"
"When God created Brothers, He made close friends to share. Our secret hopes and dreams and the burdens that we bear. When God created Brothers, he made warm hearts to care. With gentle understanding and an insight that is rare. When God created Brothers
he answered every prayer. That asks for someone special who's love is always there!"
"Thanks for being A Terrific Brother!"Thank you Jeff. You are always in my thoughts and forever in my heart. Fly Free Bird Fly, Always and Forever... Your little Brother, Trevor
* Trevor was killed June 7th, 2005 due to a one car accident in NH. www.trevordicks.com
He fought for the rights of all. He taught GED classes for his fellow prisoners, did legal work for those who didn't know how and was their friend.
He was wrongly convicted and sent to death row, but still he never wanted revenge. He was honest, kind and a man of his word. Whatever life dealt him, he took without complaining. He lived his life to it's fullest from behind the bars and concrete.
I am proud to call Jeff Dicks my son. His death will not be in vain as I started the Jeff Dicks Medical Coalition to help others in prison to get medical care and not have a death sentence because they become sick while incarcerated.
To My Son Jeff
I'll not say good by to you son, bur from the day you were born I loved you. As you grew older, I was so proud of you. Life dealt you a hard blow but you never once wanted revenge. Your sweetness and love always shone through. There was a bond between us that not even death can take away.
Your whole young life was spent in loving and helping others. You always had love for all the guys on the row and you had so much to give...you made a difference in a lot of lives and thousands of people loved you and were fighting for you.
You held on for that last visit and to call me on Mothers Day. It was as if you knew your time had come. I wish it had me that was called, we're not supposed to bury our children, but God wanted you up there.
They say your heart was enlarged, and that is true. No one had a bigger heart than you did. You were always there for me and I will always cherish our talks and the love you gave me. I'm proud to call you son.
You gave me the greatest gift of all by leaving me a part of you. Your daughter, Maria. So son, I won't say good bye and I know you'll be waiting to greet me when my time has come. I wish I could have done more. You were my life for twenty years and I don't know how I can go on, but I know you want me to. You are my angel, so baby till I see you again, I love you. MOM
Maria To Her Dad
As my father died, I was able to feel him more than ever. My father was a wonderful man, who spent 22 years of his life with helping others. I believe that God had a reason that my father was where he was. I think one of the reasons was that he knew our family and that my father was strong enough to stand it all. I feel that my father wants us to continue to fight.Every time I feel bad I feel him and something tells me, that it is okay. I think he would want that my mother fights for the guys and cleans his name. I feel that he is now really free and I know that he is with god.
Sometimes I go barefoot through the grass, because this is something that my father could not doe for 22 years and will never be able to do again. I wish I could take away mom's pain. I know that my father loved her and he knew that it will be hard, but he knew, that she will not get herself down, but continue to fight.
We will continue to fight for all Jeff stood for. I'm proud to have a son that touched so many lives. I made Jeff a promise to take care of his daughter and I will not break that promise.
Maria is a beautiful young lady with a son of her own now. She named him after her dad, Jeffrey. He is my reason for living and I wish Jeff had been alive to see his grandson. Maria is ready to take her place with her brother Trevor and I as we speak out against the horrors that goes on inside the prison walls.
No matter if you believe in the death penalty or not, surely you do not advocate mistreatment of prisoners, of killing them by withholding medication needed to save their lives. We're asking that you join us in fighting for medical care for the thousands of men and women behind bars today. Join us in this humanitarian effort to stop the brutality that goes on today.
I ask everybody to support us in our fight for medical treatment in prison ... If you have a child behind the walls, it could happen to you ... My son did fight for care for those on death row ... Most people do not care ...
I want you to know about my son and how wonderful he was and how many cared about him, including some pastors, who visited him .... His heart was good and never in his whole life he raised his hand against anybody ... Jeff loved everyone...
While the service we let some white balloons fly and his father and I gave freedom to a white dove.
The white dove did fly four or five times over Jeff. Laurie was able to make a photo of it, as it flow above. The next day we went to the cemetery and planted flowers on his grave ... and we had a last visit with him. Laurie found a white bird feather on the grave.For us that means that Jeff is free... and now he is not in pain any longer.
The Jeff Dicks Medical Foundation will fight for the medical treatment of those in the prison system. Everybody who wants to be a part of it, please write me an Email and help in the struggle hopefully we can change something in the life of others behind the walls. This is what Jeff would have wanted .... he was that kind of man.
"Never have doubt that a little group of feeling people can change the world. It is the only thing we ever had." Margaret Mead.
