Obituary of Maddie Dickens

Today we say goodbye to our daughter, sister, niece and friend, Maddie Dickens, who was taken from us by the disease of mental illness on May 20th, 2022.

There was no one else like Maddie in the world. She was a brilliant physicist, gifted musician, a caring sister and daughter, and a passionate advocate for the vulnerable. She was sweet, kind, smart, funny, passionate, disciplined, determined, brave, and stubborn. After graduating with a degree in Physics from Boston University, she studied for her PhD in Physics at UC Berkeley and is a co-writer on several important research papers in her field. Maddie was an organ donor and saved the lives of four people through her generous gift.

She was born Benjamin Dickens in September 1993 and followed her path to transition to become Maddie in 2016. We are so proud of her. She had the potential for even more greatness but was tragically lost in her prime.

Maddie is survived by her mother, Sheila Dickens of PA, her father, Ron Dickens of MN, her brother Mason Dickens of PA, her aunts Jennifer Cheesman and Lydia Marshall of MN, her aunt Kim Kellerman of NC, her uncle Bryan Smalley of FL, her uncle James Dickens of MN, her stepbrothers, Chad, Tony, and Jacob Dickens of MN, and her stepbrother Jed Cousins of MN. She will be deeply missed by all.

Celebration of life gatherings will take place in both MN (date TBD), and in PA on July 16th, 2022. Additional details will be provided later.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to NAMI (National Association of Mental Illness) MN here: https://namimn.org/get-involved/donate_now/ to honor Maddie.