Edith Johnson Dykes

What a journey it has been for the matriarch of our large and loving family, and what a legacy she leaves for all of us to carry on in our stories and actions.  Her work here is done, after 33,124 days of making the world a better place.

Edith was born on July 17, 1933, and passed away with family by her side on March 24, 2024, She was born to parents, James and Helen Johnson.  She attended A.I. Dupont High School and remained friends with several of her classmates until her death.  She was married in 1951 and spent a good part of the next couple of decades raising and nurturing her six children, all of whom have uncommon love and respect for her.  At the age of 48, after deciding that raising the aforementioned six children had been a walk in the park, she entered nursing school.  At the Nursing School of Wilmington, she graduated at the top of her class and made additional lifelong friends.  Her children boisterously celebrated this accomplishment, because there was one thing they knew about their mom, and that was that she always carried a humble grace about her and was never one to toot her own horn.  For the next 15 years, starting as a surgical nurse and eventually retiring from the transitional nursery in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit of Christiana Hospital, Edith did what she does best—care for others.  And in those roles, to no one’s surprise, she made even more lifelong friends. As the years passed, the grandchildren came and then the great-grandchildren came, and Edith greeted each and every one of them with the earnest love and respect each of them deserved.  It’s no wonder each of them – 9 grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren – believe they are #1 in Edith’s heart.

When we think about our mother, we are reminded of her love of learning, her knack for looking out for others in a quiet, steady way, her absolute sense of fairness, her hardworking nature, her intelligence, her strength, her determination, and the special space she holds for everyone she loves.  And we also think of the laughter that this commodious family she created consumes like fresh air. Ultimately, Edith made us all better humans, and for that we will be forever grateful.

Edith is survived by 5 children, Jim Dykes (Carol), Maggie Mesinger, Debra Brown (Rick), Tom Dykes, and Laurie Levine (Allan).  Her youngest son, and bright light in her life, Glenn Dykes, predeceased her in 2015.  Her 9 biological and by-marriage grandchildren — Brian (Brooke), Charles (Erin), Brittany (Alexa), Kyle (John), Kate (Tim Taylor), Ryan, Kevin (Lily), Joshua, Nick (Brianna), Jake (Cam), Braden and 15 biological and by-marriage great-grandchildren, Dylan, Emma, Catherine Rose, Ania, Carlito, Harper, Lucien, Carter, Lucy, Ben, Evan, C.J., Maya, Christian, and Aurora.  She loves her nephew Joe Johnson with conspicuous favoritism.  She is also survived by nieces Amy Crockett Cordes, Jane Johnson, Doria Stewart, and her cousin, Sandy Voda.  Edith’s family is full of love for the care shown over many years by Edith’s dear friends Greta Hansen, Barbara Giangrossi, and Tricia Strusowski. She was predeceased by her parents, Helen and James Johnson, her brother James F. Johnson, her sister, Frances Messineo, and her son, Glenn S. Dykes.

Family and friends may attend a celebration of Edith’s life starting promptly at 1:00 p.m. on Sunday, April 14, 2024, at Chandler Funeral Home, 2506 Concord Pike, Wilmington, DE 19803. The family will receive guests after the service.

While she loved spring flowers like tulips, daffodils, and lilacs, Edith also loved finding ways to quietly help people in need.  We hope you will consider making a donation in her memory to Sam’s Kids, (https://www.samskids.org/ ) an organization dedicated to providing goods and services to Delaware children at risk and in distressed situations.  It is an organization that her children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and Edith herself have had the pleasure of serving over many years.