Dedra "Dedi" Morton Dillingham

Dedra “Dedi” Morton Dillingham, beloved mother, wife, daughter, sister, friend, and devoted member of her community, died, Sunday, August 24, 2026. She was born on March 17, 1957, in Asheville, North Carolina, to the late Virginia and Lawrence Morton.

As a young woman, Dedi traveled throughout the country, living in many places as her father’s career with the National Park Service took their family from one beautiful corner of the country to another. Those years helped shape her appreciation for the beauty of the world around her.

In May of 1978, Dedi married Steve Dillingham, beginning a marriage and life together that would span nearly five decades. They wrote their love story in Weaverville, in a house she carefully curated on her family’s farm. Throughout their marriage Steve remained steadfast to Dedi to care for her in both sickness and health.

Dedi later worked as a teller at First Union Bank. But when her two daughters were born, her priorities changed completely. She devoted herself to raising them and teaching them the things she believed mattered most in life. She taught them how to love generously, how to make a home feel special, how to laugh at themselves, how to enjoy the little things, and—perhaps most importantly—how to always have a good time.

Dedi had a gift for making ordinary moments feel like occasions. She loved decorating her home, hosting a good party, playing dress-up, and laughing until she could hardly catch her breath. She could make spaghetti, a mean squash casserole, the cutest cupcakes, and beignets. She would much rather be outside tending to her flowers, enjoying the yard, or packing a picnic and heading out onto the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Her love of children extended beyond her own family. Dedi taught preschool at Weaverville Methodist Church, where she was a lifelong member. Her church was an important part of her life, and she especially cherished the friendships and fellowship she found through the women’s groups.

Dedi will be remembered for her warmth, her laughter, her creativity, her love of beautiful things, and her ability to make people feel at home. She had a way of turning a simple afternoon into a memory and a gathering into a celebration. She loved deeply, lived fully, and found joy in the people and places that meant the most to her.

Above all, Dedi was a wife and mother who gave her family her whole heart. The lessons she taught them, the laughter they shared, and the love she poured into their lives will remain with them always.

In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her brother, Gary C. Morton.

Surviving is her husband, Steve Dillingham; daughters, McKenzie Dillingham and wife Erin Purvis and Lydia Dillingham Folds and husband Tanner; sister, Deborah Duyck and husband Ron; grandson, Rhodes and one on the way.

Her funeral service will be held at 2:00 pm on Saturday, August 29, 2026, in Weaverville United Methodist Church. Rev. Richard Blount and Rev. Bev Colombo will officiate.

The family will greet friends following the service.

The family will always be grateful to Regina Spears for the gift of life, with the donation of her kidney.

In Dedi’s memory feel free to donate to, Donate Life America or Four Seasons Hospice.

Dedi leaves behind a lifetime of beautiful memories and a family who will miss her dearly, while carrying her love and laughter with them wherever they go.