William & Sarah Dickey

William & Sarah Dickey, c.1920.

Dates: 

William Dickey: b. Ontario, 7 September 1859 d. November 1922

Sarah Dickey: b. Manitoba, 1861 d. 17 April 1939

Cemetery Location:

William Dickey: Block E, Row 1, Plot 53

Sarah Dickey: Block E, Row 1, Plot 53

Profiles:

William John Dickey was born near Barrie, Ontario, in 1859. Moving west with the Canadian Pacific Railway construction, he was struck by the beauty of the mountains in British Columbia, and in 1886 chose to settle in Revelstoke.

On 9 November 1887, William married Sarah Amanda Banting at Metheun, Manitoba, and they had three children: Benjamin John, William Earle and Shella Dickey.

William was a member of Revelstoke’s first school board, and in 1903, appointed dominion fire ranger. Later, when Revelstoke was made sub-agency of the Kamloops district, he became the first dominion land agent, a position he held until 1911.

In 1899, the Dickeys built a home on First Street on the site of the present Revelstoke Museum & Archives, later moving to the northwest corner of Third Street and Rokeby Avenue.  John died in November 1922 – the local children lining the street to say goodbye as his funeral procession drove by.

Sarah Dickey was an accomplished musician, playing the organ for the Methodists, Presbyterians and Anglicans on alternate Sundays. She also sang in the senior choir at the Methodist Church. Her sons, Benjamin and William, played the trombone and French horn, and both were members of the local band. Her daughter, Shella, was well known throughout B.C. as a talented pianist and music teacher.

Sarah was also an active member of the Methodist Ladies Aid and she taught at Sunday School until the week before her death, aged 78, in 1939.