“Good morning birds. Good morning bees. And how are you today? Good morning squirrels up in the trees. Us little squirrels down here are doing just fine.”
John Gilbert Dyer, 65, of Chickasha, passed away Saturday, May 26, 2018, in Oklahoma City. A celebration of John’s life will be held privately.
John was born in Concord, California, on March 17, 1953, to Genevieve and Wallace “Bud” Dyer. Third-born of their four children, he is remembered by his siblings as being the family jokester, sweet but mischievous. The Dyer family spent vacations on Clear Lake where they enjoyed camping, boating, and waterskiing.
John attended Clayton Valley High School where he excelled both academically and athletically. He was an honor student and played guard and middle linebacker for the football team. As a guard, he was all-league his junior and senior years, and all-county his senior year.
John received a college-county academic scholarship and brought his scholastic and gridiron talents to Saint Mary’s College in Moraga, California. He was the perennial starting guard for the Gaels’ football team and graduated cum laude with a degree in biology. As a senior, he received the President’s scholar-athlete award. While attending Saint Mary’s, he met and fell in love with his future wife, Ann Mattingly, of LaVerne, California. John won her over with love notes in which he had a penchant for quoting music lyrics:
“Hey good-lookin’. Whatcha got cookin’? How’s about cookin’ something up with me tonight?”
Naturally, she was instantly smitten.
After college, John moved to Omaha, Nebraska, where he attended dental school at Creighton University. John married Ann in the at St. Mary’s College Chapel on July 29, 1978, surrounded by family and friends. The newlyweds then returned to Omaha where he finished his final year of dental school. John graduated with the degree of Doctor of Dental Surgery on May 19, 1979.
Upon completion of dental school, John entered the U.S. Army as a Captain and was stationed in Hanau, Germany where he served as a dentist. John and Ann enjoyed living abroad, and they traveled extensively throughout Western Europe. Some of John’s most memorable places included Munich, Germany, and the Lauterbrunnen Valley in Switzerland. On November 24, 1980, John and Ann welcomed their first child, a son named Kevin Patrick.
In 1982, the family of three moved back to the states and John finished out his active duty at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. They eventually settled in Chickasha, Oklahoma, where John established a family dental practice. There, he practiced dentistry from 1983-2016, and he and Ann welcomed three more children: Meghan Colleen on September 26, 1984; Kellen Vincent on December 20, 1986; and Mallory Kathleen on December 21, 1990.
The four Dyer children were a constant source of pride for John and there was never a sporting event, dance recital, or awards ceremony that he was not in attendance. He beamed when he spoke of his children, constantly sharing their accomplishments with friends, family, and patients. He loved to make others laugh, especially his children, often making up humorous stories to share with them and their friends.
In his spare time, John loved reading and brushing up on his trivia, which was particularly useful when he and Ann hosted their frequent game nights with friends. As an avid traveler, John loved taking his family on vacations, sharing his love of history and culture with his wife and children. He was a man of many talents. He enjoyed woodworking and built many items of furniture for the Dyer household throughout the years. He was also a skilled gardener and an exceptional cook.
John loved being around people and was the kind of guy that never met a stranger. He was a brilliant conversationalist and storyteller, and always had a good joke to share. John was the life of the party and he got the most joy out of hosting backyard get-togethers for his family and friends.
John is preceded in death by his father, mother, and older sister, Deborah. He is survived by his wife, Ann, of Chickasha; a son, Kevin, of Tulsa; a daughter and son-in-law, Meghan and Adam Plautz, of Overland Park, Kansas; a son, Kellen, of Oklahoma City; and a daughter and son-in-law, Mallory and Joe Karns, of Oklahoma City, who are expecting a daughter in October. Additional survivors include his older brother, Eric Dyer, of Colorado Springs, Colorado, and his younger sister, Beverly Whitcomb, of Puerto Escondido, Mexico, and their families. He also leaves behind many nieces, nephews, countless friends, and his beloved pets: Baylee, Audrey, and Nicholas.
John had a genuine love for animals, especially dogs, and there was never a time in his life when he did not have a pet. In memory of John and in lieu of flowers, donations can be made to:
Friends Fur Change
1801 W Carolina
Chickasha, OK 73018
Cremation arrangements are under the direction of Ferguson Funeral Home.