NEDERLAND — A longtime Nederland businessman who once owned the last full service station in the city has died.
Nathan Dickerson, 80, died Tuesday, July 21, at the Hospice Home Place in Tyler.
Dickerson was the retired owner and operator of Dickerson Exxon which was located at Nederland Avenue and Twin City Highway. An active community member, Dickerson was known for his outgoing personality, working with youth and for his dedication to his city and his customers.
Diana LaBorde, president/CEO of Nederland Chamber of Commerce, said Dickerson help many youth through the years.
“He helped a lot of kids through the years. You couldn’t grow up in Nederland and not know him,” LaBorde said. “He loved kids and was a pillar in our town. He was always there and always greeted you with a kind word.”
Dickerson, she said, employed countless youth at his business and likely changed their lives for the positive by taking them under his wing.
“He employed them, taught them about life and hard work and the benefits of hard work,” she said. “He was a super guy.”
Nederland Mayor Richard “Dick” Nugent worked with Dickerson for 20-plus years at Texaco Refinery before Dickerson opened his service station.
“He was a super nice guy, very conscientious, and a family man” Nugent said. “When he started his business here he was very nice to his customers, did everything possible to please them and he was proud of that.”
Nugent remembered the man behind the business as one who believed in his city.
“He had a very large heart,” he said. “He took his community to heart and believed in it and was dedicated to it.”
Dickerson was retired owner and operator of Dickerson Exxon in Nederland. He attended Sam Houston University in Huntsville where he served in the R.O.T.C. program. He graduated from Lamar Technology in Beaumont earning a degree in sociology.
He was a member of the Nederland Masonic Lodge, Shriners, and Cashan Grotto. He was a member of the Nederland Chamber of Commerce where he was named Small Business Person of the Year. While with Exxon, he served on the National Dealers Advisory Counsel.
Dickerson is survived by his daughter, Kim Chastain and her husband, Michael of Tyler and his grandson, Ethan Chastain of Tyler.
Funeral services will be 2 p.m. Sunday, July 26 at the First Baptist Church in Nederland with the Rev. James Brown officiating. Entombment will follow at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Beaumont under the direction of Melancon’s Funeral Home in Nederland.
A gathering of the family and friends will be from 5 to 8 p.m. Saturday at the funeral home.
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