Ida Dickinson Dunbar went to be with the Lord on Tuesday, July 14, 2026. She was born at Wheelus Air Force Base in Tripoli, Libya, to Elizabeth Jane Taylor Dickinson and Jacob McGavock Dickinson III. Ida grew up around the world: the Philippines, Texas, Illinois, Hawaii, Guam, Florida, and Tennessee were among the places she called home. She spent her high school years in Nashville, where she graduated from Harpeth Hall in 1969. She then attended the University of the South at Sewanee as a member of its first class of women. It was there she met the love of her life, Bruce Clay Dunbar Jr. They were married and Ida went on to earn a B.S. in History and English from the University of Alabama at Birmingham in 1973.
Ida devoted her life to serving Jesus Christ, her Lord and Savior. She and Bruce came to faith together and their home became a place where others were welcomed, fed, and loved. She was always ready to serve a meal, provide a listening ear, or apply Eucerin to a child’s lips. Her presence lit up every room and
she was adored by more friends and family than she could
count. Life flourished around Ida as she was a passionate gardener and animal lover. Her pets were loved beyond measure.
Hummingbirds, blue birds and butterflies constantly visited her flowers, a testament to her care in every sense. She poured herself into raising her three boys: cheering from the sidelines as team mom, keeping score at basketball games, arm-wrestling teammates, running carpools, and was the reigning undefeated Pac
Man champion of the neighborhood. Her energy was boundless and her love for her family the steady rhythm beneath everything else.
For 45 years, one of Ida's great loves was Community Bible Study, where she served in many roles including Core Group Leader. She was a longtime active member of Covenant Presbyterian Church, teaching Sunday school and serving in countless ways, and then became a joyful member of Third Presbyterian Church. Her civic life was equally rich: she served on the board of the Alabama Policy Institute, First Priority, Better Basics, the National Christian Foundation, and the Dunbar Family Foundation. She was heavily involved in numerous charitable and philanthropic organizations; too numerous to mention.
Ida is preceded in death by her beloved parents, Elizabeth Jane Taylor Dickinson and Jacob McGavock Dickinson III; her brothers, Jacob McGavock Dickinson IV (Chelsea) and Thomas Rhodes Dickinson; and her sister, Louise McGavock Dickinson Webb (Bill).
She is survived by her adoring husband of 54 years, Bruce Clay Dunbar Jr.; her three sons, Bruce Clay Dunbar III (Clay) and his wife Bekah, McGavock Dunbar and his wife Ann, and Stewart Dunbar and his wife Lynsey; her sister, Elizabeth Taylor Dickinson (Charles); her nine grandchildren, Elizabeth Mays Dunbar, Georgia Raines Dunbar, and Vivian Grace Dunbar; Jacob McGavock Dunbar, Charles Springer Dunbar, Henry Dickinson Dunbar, and Joseph Thompson Dunbar; and Naomi Sky Dunbar and Josephine Rose Dunbar; and many beloved nieces and nephews.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that memorials be given to Third Presbyterian Church, 617 22nd Street South, Birmingham, AL 35233; Samaritan's Purse, P.O. Box 3000, Boone, NC 28607; or Community Bible Study, Attention: Memorial/ Birmingham South Day Class, 790 Stout Road, Colorado Springs, CO 80921.
