Dossey "Dee" Clyde Cribbs Jr.

Dossey Clyde Cribbs Jr., affectionately known by family and friends as “Dee”, departed this world on August 3rd, 2024.

Dee was born in Memphis, TN on September 5th, 1961, but spent the first three years of his life in Japan where his father, a 30-year Navy veteran, was stationed. Dee and his family returned to Tennessee where he attended Millington Elementary and Middle Schools and graduated from Millington Central High School in 1979. After high school, Dee attended Christian Brothers University in Memphis, TN for a short time, but soon decided that he preferred a physically active life to scholarship. After working at the local Piggly Wiggly for several years, Dee became a printing pressman and worked in that field for more than a decade.

As a child, Dee spent many happy hours fishing with his grandfather which led to a lifelong passion for this pastime. A point of pride in the living room of the family home was a wall mounted bass from one of Dee’s many fishing expeditions. Along with fishing, Dee had a general love for the water and was an avid boater and water skier. Dee so loved this sport that even curable skin cancer could not deter him from spending time on the water.

Dee was the youngest child of his family and preferred to remain in close proximity with his parents. He had a good relationship with them, and became the principal companion and later, caretaker, of his father. After the passing of his father, Dee moved to Dresden, TN to live closer to the farmland and ponds. Once settled in Dresden, Dee worked briefly at the local grocer, EW James & Sons, before settling into a position as cook at Kountry Korner. Dee spent the remainder of his life enriching the lives of others through food.

During his time in Dresden, Dee overcame climate-based challenges more than once. He survived a tornado in December 2021 that took out both his home and his workplace. After an icy fall in his driveway, resulting in a concussion, he developed frostbite during a winter storm in December of 2022. Dee was well cared for by friends and other members of the community in the aftermath of these events.

Dee leaves behind two older sisters, Ann Lewis and Jane Cribbs. He is also mourned by his nephew, Nathan Higginbotham and husband Timothy Johnson, and by his niece, Amie Francis and husband John Francis.

Services will be held at Kountry Korner Restaurant in Dresden, TN on Wednesday, September 4th at 3pm. In lieu of flowers, the family ask that you consider a donation to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention in Dee’s name. This organization may be found online at https://afsp.org.

In honor of Dee’s passion for life, the family’s wish to each reader of this obituary is this: Remember good times, warm sun, and good fishing. Enjoy your life, family and friends, as this is your greatest wealth.