Oliver E. Dungee was born on October 12, 1947, in Norfolk, Virginia to the late Ethel Dungee Vaughan. Raised in “the country,” he spent his childhood in Pamplin and Prospect, Virginia.

On October 15, 1965, Oliver married his high school sweetheart, Brenda Jackson. Part of the Great Migration, the couple moved north to New Jersey with their young son, Pharon. A few years later they celebrated the birth of a second child, their daughter Pamela. Although Oliver was a longtime resident of New Jersey, he always considered Virginia his home.

Oliver spent several decades as a computer operator, often working multiple jobs to provide for his family. During his career, he had a special opportunity to attend computer training at Harvard University and occasionally joked that he was “a Harvard man.”

Upon retiring, he loved to spend his days watching old westerns, landscaping his yard, “playing the numbers,” working on old cars and talking on the phone with family members. He also loved to cook, particularly for holidays and special occasions.

Oliver or “Big Sam,” as his family affectionately called him, departed this life on Thursday, March 28, 2024. He was preceded in death by his parents, Sidney and Ethel Vaughan; three sisters - Christine Webb, Jean Fowlkes and Margaret Gatling; and three brothers - Winston Vaughan, Samuel Vaughan and James Vaughan.

Oliver will be forever remembered by his loving wife, Brenda Dungee; his son, Pharon Dungee; his daughter, Pamela Dungee (Byron Dirkson); granddaughter, Monique Dungee; great-grandson, Tyshawn McClain; six sisters - Lillian Bea Abbitt (James), Allie Robinson, Clytie Allen (James), Glenda Coles (Melvin), Judy Ann Williams (Lester) and Mary Bibbs; one brother, Anderson Vaughan (Debra); sisters and brothers-in-law - Laverne Jackson, Vanessa Story, Pamela Jackson, Verna Jackson, Marie Jackson, Susan Vaughan, Samuel Jackson, John Webb and Percy Fowlkes; aunts, aunts-in-law and uncles - Evelyn Green, Sadie Harley, Ruby Dungee, Vickie Dungee and Sam Dungee (Corrine). He also leaves a host of nieces, nephews, relatives, friends and a granddog, Codey.

The family thanks his nieces, Connie Dailey and Carol Morton, for their special devotion to Oliver.