Dr. Bruce Dickson 1951 - 2023

Surrounded by his loving family, Bruce Alexander Dickson died at home July 16, 2023. He was 72 and had battled esophageal cancer for two-and-a half years. His bereaved include his wife, Kathleen Horgan; son, Keith Dickson; daughter, Kaitlyn (Dickson) Mason and her husband, Will Mason, and Bruce’s first grandchild, Leonore Belle Mason, born July 31. Other survivors include Bruce’s beloved sister, Kathy Goff; niece, Lauren (Goff) Lennox and her husband, Jon, and their three children, Logan, Jenna, and Lucas. Bruce will be sorely missed by extended family, his patients, and many dear friends throughout the country.

Bruce was born April 26, 1951, in Baltimore, Maryland, to Vernon and Alice Dickson. He received his undergraduate degree in biology at Wake Forest University in North Carolina, and earned his naturopathic doctorate in 1979 from the National College of Naturopathic Medicine in Portland, Oregon. A longtime resident of Dundee, he had a private family practice for 43 years in McMinnville. His son, Keith Dickson, N.D., took over his practice in 2023. 

Bruce served the National College of Naturopathic Medicine as chair of the board of trustees, interim president in 1983, and as a supervising physician and associate professor.  In 2013, he was inducted into the National College of Natural Medicine Hall of Fame for his role in the pursuit of excellence in naturopathic medicine. He also served the community as board chair of the Willamette Valley Cancer Foundation, president of the McMinnville Rotary Club, chair of the McMinnville Leadership Program and a board member of Henderson House.

Bruce was an avid outdoor enthusiast who enjoyed white water rafting, biking, birding, and photography. He also farmed organic Ginkgo biloba for use as a health supplement.  Bruce enthusiastically traveled widely with family and friends and deeply connected with his Scottish heritage.  In the fall of 2022, he took his whole family on a road trip throughout Scotland. 

 A Celebration of Life will be held from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Thursday, September 28, at the Grand McMinnville, 325 N.E. Third Street. To honor Bruce’s memory, his family suggests donations to the Willamette Valley Cancer Foundation 501 (c) (3).