JoEllen Renee Dicken, 49, of Haymarket, VA, passed away suddenly on September 7, 2016, at her home. She was born on June 23, 1967, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, the daughter of Darrell and Judy Dicken of Marion, Iowa.

She is survived by her son, Brayden Joseph Prucha, and his father, Brian Prucha, of Haymarket; a sister Shelly (Patrick) Collins of Lexington, Kentucky; a brother Mark (Kerri) Dicken of Johnston, Iowa; nieces and nephews Michael (Kelsey) Collins, Megan, and Madison Collins of Lexington, Kelsey (Nick) Bussanmas, Zachary, and Joshua Dicken of Johnston. JoEllen was preceded in death by her grandparents Lawrence and Elma Dicken and Carl and Edith Foote.

She attended Linn-Mar Schools, Marion, Iowa, graduating in 1985. She was an outstanding trumpeter and won many State Division I Solo and Ensemble ratings. She was 1st trumpet throughout her tenure in the Linn-Mar Bands, many of which were selected to perform at the Iowa Bandmasters Association. In 1985, she represented Linn-Mar and the state of Iowa as a member of the McDonald's All-American Band, with performances at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and the Rose Bowl Parade. After graduating high school, JoEllen attended the American Institute of Business in Des Moines, IA, graduating in 1988 with an Associates of Arts Degree in Court Reporting.

Jo began her career as a Registered Professional Reporter in Denver, Colorado, at the firm of Agren & Blando. In 1989, she moved to Washington, D.C., to begin working for the National Captioning Institute as a Closed-Captioner. In 1991, JoEllen was hired by the United States Senate in the Office of Captioning Services as a Realtime Captioner. She was employed there for 25 years and had served as the Director of Captioning Services since 2005.

A visitation celebrating JoEllen's life will be held at Baker-Post Funeral Home, 10001 Nokesville Road, Manassas, Virginia 20110, Sunday, September 18, from 1-3, with a memorial service following. A visitation and memorial service will also be held in Marion, Iowa, at a date to be announced. Memorials may be directed to Linn-Mar Schools, 2999 North Tenth Street, Marion, IA 52302, where the funds will go to benefit the band program. Please note JoEllen Dicken Memorial on your contribution.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of JoEllen Renee Dicken, please visit our Heartfelt Sympathies Store.