Battalion Chief Earl E. Dyer, Jr. departed this life on October 5, 2023. He was greeted in heaven by his father, Earl Sr., mother, Jean; and little brother, Mitchell. Earl was a member of the Good Shepherd Baptist Church.

Earl was the first-born child of Earl Dyer Sr. and Jean Oliver. Although raised in Jackson Ward, he loved the entire city of Richmond and worked tirelessly to improve it until his passing.

Earl attended and was a member of the Armstrong High School class of 1977. He served as president of the class and was also a member of the JROTC. It was while attending Armstrong High School that he met and fell in love with Anna Williams, who later became his wife. He always found humor in joking about which one of them chased the other. On the morning of his passing, after he gave her a goodbye kiss and before he headed off to work, he finally admitted that he indeed was the one who did the chasing the entire time.

Earl and Anna were married in October of 1990 and would have celebrated 33 years of marriage this month on the 27th. Not only did they still love each other, they were in love.  They fostered and nurtured a loving family, raising five beautiful children together.

Earl not only loved his family, friends, and community, he also loved his country. He became a member of the U.S. Army right after graduating from high school and traveled the world during his tour of duty. He retired from active duty with the Army in 1983 and became a member of the Army Reserves, where he continued to serve his country until he retired. During his military service with the Army, he served two tours: one with Operation Noble Eagle in 2003 and another with Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2007. After his exemplary service to our nation, he retired from the Army as a 1st Sergeant after returning from his last tour in 2009.

After completing his active duty, he became a firefighter with the Richmond Fire Department, where he would serve for 40 years up to the morning of his passing. He possessed a work ethic that was unparalleled and through dedication and hard work, rose through the ranks of leadership within the Richmond Fire Department, moving from Lieutenant to Deputy Fire Marshal to Battalion Chief. Always with the focus of improving his city, he worked directly with the community. He especially enjoyed working with students in the Richmond Public School System.

Earl received his Associate's Degree at J. Sergeant Reynolds Community College in Fire Science. At the time of his passing, he was in the process of completing a General Studies degree at Columbia Southern University.

Throughout his life, Earl was passionate about caring for his family. He would do whatever was necessary to make sure everyone was doing well. He was the master of DIY projects and had any tool you could think of in his garage. He often visited each of his children's homes to perform tasks of all types. In fact, a family mantra was "If Papa can't fix it, we're screwed."

He enjoyed watching movies, and spending time with his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. He also enjoyed playing video games from time to time. You could catch him on Sunday morning attending Good Shepherd Baptist Church, reading the newspaper, then filling out the puzzle section, and having spirited discussions about current events. He possessed the definition of a sweet tooth, often making dessert concoctions, but especially enjoying ice cream and cinnamon buns.

Earl recently celebrated his 65th birthday in style – doing one of his favorite activities – watching his favorite actor, Denzel Washington, with all his favorite people, an array of family and friends. A man of respect and fairness, Earl had a strong moral compass and wanted nothing but the best for anyone whose life he touched.

Earl was blessed with a loving family that will continue to carry on his legacy. It includes his devoted wife of 33 years, Anna Dyer; five children, Natasha Nicole, Tivonya Hubbard, Earl Dyer III (Carolyn), Samya Dyer, and Chelsi Dyer; two grandchildren, Jotaijah Thomas (Lamont) and River Dyer; two great-grandchildren, Aiden Thomas and Austin Thomas; five siblings, Yodorah Dyer, Ervin Dyer, Venetia Frances (Byron), Marcus Dyer (Samantha), and Dana Griffin (Shawn). In addition, there are several extended family members that include a caring aunt, uncles, nieces, nephews, cousins, sisters-in-law, brothers-in-law, and devoted friends.

Earl was a generous donor. If you would like to donate in his name, please submit donations to the American Heart Society (online) or the Central VA Veterans Healthcare System, Attn: Voluntary Services, 1201 Broad Rock Blvd., Richmond, VA, 23249 (mail) in the name of Earl E. Dyer Jr. If you choose to donate directly to the family, those funds will be dispersed amongst Earl's favorite charities.