Victoria "Vicki" Louise (Dobbs) Dalia

Vicki Dalia left the arms of her beloved husband, Jody, and went to be with her

Heavenly Parents on Wednesday, May 10th, 2023.

To say that this mom, wife, grandmother, sister, aunt, friend had a life well-lived is an understatement.

Victoria Louise was born March 30th, 1949 in Bremerhaven, Germany to Chief Warrant Officer Oscar Thomas Dobbs and Virginia Ruth Combs Dobbs.  They left Germany when she was four months old, but she loved telling everyone she was born in culture-rich Germany.

Vicki, the oldest of four siblings, was a highly intelligent and precocious child.  She always wanted the latest fashions, which would surprise everyone who knows she loved hippie-casual looks as an adult.

Vicki was so eager to be a mother that she started a bit earlier than expected with the birth of her first son, Matthew (Tripp) Dalia. While raising Tripp, she earned her bachelor's degree in Sociology from North Carolina State University. She was very proud of this accomplishment, as her family revered higher education.

She attended one year of law school at North Carolina Central Law School. Prior to law school, she worked 3 years as a probation officer and was a consummate defender of the innocent.  She saw everyone as a child of God and was a champion of the marginalized before it was cool.

Some time after, and now divorced, she noticed a handsome young teacher at Tripp’s school named Jody Dalia.  Remembering her European roots, she was mesmerized by this dark haired Italian stallion who loved children but didn’t have them on his personal radar yet.  Vicki, however, told him on their first date that she was not the mothering kind. They were married Dec 10,1976.

She then got her a 6 pack.  No, not that one, quite the opposite.  She gave birth to 5 children in 6 years:  Jennifer, Sarah, Erin, Joey and Flossie.  By then, she and Jody had moved to mountains and she loved having barefoot children running through their front lawn.

Vicki loved being pregnant and newborns, Bryan, Bethany and Hannah quickly followed the previous children.  After thinking the door to more children was closed, she and Jody began adding to their family through adoption. Johnny joined their brood in 1992. Heather, Caleb, Seth, Emmeline, Alisa, Anthony and Rebecca would all join the family through adoption. In the middle of these adoptions, Vicki surprised everyone with her last birth child, Scotia, at the age of 45.

Adoption was one of Vicki’s favorite things to talk about, and she felt immense pride that her family was made up of different races and ethnicities—just as God designed the world to be. Having navigated private adoption, and feeling that her experience could be valuable to others, she and Jody establish Adoption Advertising which has become one of the largest advertising firms in the field of adoption.

Now a bona-fied business woman, with the adoption business flourishing, she wanted to do more for children. In 2003 Jody and Vicki followed our Savior’s invitation in Matthew 4:19  “follow me, and I will make you fishers of men” and opened Safe Homes for Children and Casa de Sion, an orphanage in Guatemala.  Vicki spent her last 20 years mothering not only her children, but hundreds of others both in the orphanage and in local Guatemala communities through feeding programs and educational scholarships.

Nature was therapeutic for Vicki, and she enjoyed both the serene environment of her mountain home in Whitetop, VA and her coastal home in Beaufort, NC.  Vicki spent much of her free time outdoors.  She enjoyed evenings on her dock watching the boats on the ICW and mornings views from her mountain home with a cup of tea.  She adored long walks, her gardens, reading, and sewing clothing for her children and grandchildren. In her later years she began making homemade birthday cards that were well loved by her grandkids.

Vicki enjoyed playing guitar and piano throughout her life. She loved music of all kinds, some of her favorites being John Denver and John Prine.  If there wasn’t a valid reason to hear a bluegrass band, she would invent one. She loved family gatherings, and some of her favorites took place at music festivals where she thrilled dancing with her children and grandchildren (46 and counting. And yes, she knew them all by name!)  These moments with her family were some of her most precious, and she made sure to document them with her multiple social media posts and the embarrassing candid photos she shared.

Her favorite person in the world, and best friend, was her husband, Jody.  They enjoyed doing most everything together.  They could often be found on walks, listening to books together, or just sitting on their deck with the sounds of nature. They took cross country trips to visit grandchildren and traveled back and forth from Guatemala, caring for God’s children and enjoying the culture together.

She loved her Heavenly Parents and her Savior.  She knew them personally from a young age and lived her life receiving inspiration and guidance on how to love and serve her Father’s children.  One of her greatest legacies is the passing of this love and service to her children.  She has blessed the lives of thousands through her love and service in both her personal life and that of Adoption Advertising and Safe Homes for Children.

Vicki joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1979.  The course of her life was then shaped by the gospel teachings and her beliefs.  She loved spending time in the Raleigh, NC temple where she felt a strong connection to both her heavenly and earthly families.  She was one of the greatest missionaries, leading hundreds to the Savior during her lifetime though her good works.

While she will be dearly missed, we know she will be busy on the other side caring for those she loved in ways she could not do on Earth.

Vicki is survived by her husband Jody Dalia. 18 children and 46 grandchildren,

Tripp & Rhonda Dalia (Jake and Grayson), Jennifer & Ryan Swapp (Madeline, Ella, Max, Sam, Thomas, Tori and Grant), Sarah & Adam Bodily (Talia, Will, Nate, Luke and Drew), Erin & Mark Sanofsky (Katie, Addy, Marcus, Jaxon and Zane), Joey and Crystal Dalia (Karleigh, Baylee, Chloe, Miley and Emorie), Flossie and Chris Green (Carson, Cooper, Caden and Olivia), Bryan and Chrissy Dalia (Cohen, Colbey, Lillian and Liam), Bethany and Eric McLean (Elsie, Sully and Nora), Hannah and Mike Douglas (Izzy, Zeke and baby boy), Johnny and Kelsey Dalia (Maya, Roman and Brinley), Heather and Jon Satchwell (Carter), Scotia and Richard Parrish (Heath, Elijah and Amelia), Caleb and Sierra Dalia (Kyson, Dakari), Seth Dalia, Emmeline Dalia, Alisa Dalia, Anthony Dalia, Rebecca Dalia.

Siblings- Lianne Mattar and John Dobbs and nieces and nephews.

In lieu of flowers, the family invites you to make a donation to Safe Homes for Children https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=HRX9VB2HZGJG6

Funeral services will be held Saturday, May 13, 2023 at 5:00 pm at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in Marion, VA.  The family will receive friends from 4:30 – 5:00 pm prior to the service.  A private graveside service will be held at the Whitetop Gap Cemetery.

Badger Funeral Home and Cremation Services in West Jefferson, NC was entrusted with Mrs. Dalia's arrangements.