Baker City, Oregon
Wilson McConnell “Willie” Dickison, 81, a longtime Baker City resident, died Oct. 26, 2004, at Providence Medical Center in Portland, after brain surgery.
His funeral will be at 11 a.m. Monday at McEwen Bible Fellowship near Sumpter. Pastor Bill Cox will officiate. Interment will be at the Sumpter Cemetery. After the committal service at the cemetery, everyone is invited to the luncheon at the Masonic Hall in Sumpter. Visitations will be Sunday from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Coles Funeral Home, 1950 Place St.
Wilson was born at Flora on May 1, 1923, to Mark and Olive McConnell Dickison. He was proud of the Dickison family history. His grandfather, Artemus Jefferson Dickison, traveled across the plains alone from Missouri to Oregon Territory when he was 17.
Later he was with a group of five men who were on their way to the Boise Basin gold strike when they discovered gold and started the town of Granite.
Wilson attended Baker High School. He enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1940 at age 17 after his father was killed in a logging accident. He served for six years, reaching the rank of chief boatswain mate. He was honorably discharged in 1946.
He married Nadeen Barton, the sister of his Navy shipmate and best friend, at Martinez, Calif. They had two sons, who were his pride and joy.
Wilson worked on the Sumpter Valley Dredge for several years. He enjoyed working in the woods, building and maintaining logging roads, including the current road from Sumpter to Granite. He was a truck driver and supervisor for Basche Sage Hardware Co. and a heavy equipment operator for the Baker County Road Department. After “retirement,” he worked for many more years building and maintaining forest roads.
He was a member and past master of McEwen Lodge, No. 125, A.F.&A.M. at Sumpter and served as the district deputy of the Grand Master of Masons in Oregon. He also was a member and past patron of Alpine Chapter, No. 82, Order of the Eastern Star at Sumpter.
He was active in Scouting and taught Hunters Safety classes when his sons were growing up. He enjoyed meeting with friends for coffee and betting on spoils.
He enjoyed hunting, fishing, and woodcutting with his sons and grandchildren and camping with his brothers and their families.
He is survived by his wife, Nadeen Dickison of Baker City; sons and daughters-in-law, Bart and Ann of La Grande and Jon and Dawna of Baker City; grandchildren, Billy, Dennis and his wife, Wendy, and Rylie, of Baker City, Nick of San Francisco, and Megan of La Grande; great-grandchildren, Kortney, Lyndsey, and Carter of Baker City; brothers and sisters-in-law, Andrew and Jo, Rod and Deloras and Wes and Kathy of Baker City and Paul and Nancy of Tennessee; and many nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents; a sister, Carrie Hudspeth; and a brother, Jim.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Shriners Hospital for Children through Coles Funeral Home, 1950 Place St., Baker City, OR 97814.
Used with permission from: Baker City Herald, Baker City, Oregon, October 29, 2004
Transcribed by: Belva Ticknor