Dwight Edgar Dyer

Dwight Edgar Dyer passed away peacefully at Leewood Healthcare Center in Annandale, Virginia on December 5, 2019 at the age of 88. Dwight was born in San Diego, CA in 1931. While growing up he lived in several different cities in California. He joined the U.S. Navy in 1948 and served 4 years which included combat service in Korea. He attended Shasta College in Redding, California and in 1957 graduated with a B.A. in Journalism from the University of Nevada in Reno. In 1956, he married his wife, the former Nancy Jayne Elliott. Dwight began a career in journalism in 1958 as the Night Editor for the Associated Press in San Francisco and moved back to Nevada in 1959 as the Nevada Correspondent for the Associated Press in Reno and Carson City. From 1962 to 1964 he was the News Director and Evening News Anchor at KCRL TV in Reno, Nevada. In 1964, he began a long career in the United States Senate serving as Press Secretary to Senator Alan Bible. From 1968 to 1972 he was Legislative Assistant to Senator Alan Bible. From 1972 to 1981 he served on the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee, first as Staff Director on the Interior Appropriations Subcommittee under the Chairmanship of Senator Robert C. Byrd of West Virginia. From 1981 to 1986 he served as Staff Director on the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee under the Chairmanship of Senator Ted Stevens of Alaska. Following his retirement from the Senate, he founded and ran a consulting firm. In retirement, Dwight and Nancy traveled and resided over the years in Maryland, Florida, West Virginia, South Carolina and Virginia. Dwight was preceded in death by his wife Nancy Dyer in 2008. He is survived by daughter Cherie Cleland of Bradenton, FL and her husband Doug, and sons Alan Dyer of St. Petersburg, FL and Curtis Dyer of Alexandria, VA and his wife Teresa, grandchildren Sean Cleland of Jacksonville, FL and his wife Lee-Ann, Marshall Dyer of South Lake Tahoe, CA and his wife Becca, Brittany Dyer of North Fork, CA and her husband Gilbert, greatgrandchildren Nicholas Cleland, Nathan Cleland and his wife Danielle, and Keeley Cleland of Jacksonville, FL. As many of you know, Dwight suffered from Alzheimer’s Disease and in an effort to further research on the disease, following his death, he made an anatomical donation to the Georgetown University Medical Center Memory Disorders Program. The family respect’s Dwight’s wishes to not hold a formal memorial ceremony and that donations may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association or to your personal charity of choice. We welcome any memories and photos you might like to share about Dwight here on the Jefferson Funeral Chapel website.

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Dwight Edgar Dyer

May 20, 1931 - December 5, 2019