John Dickey

Obituary of John E. Dickey Memorial services for John E. Dickey, 95, of Casper, WY will be held at 1:00 p.m. Saturday, June 27, 2015 at Bustard's Funeral Home. Military honors will be accorded. John passed away May 27, 2015 in Casper. Inurnment will take place at a later date at Oregon Trail Veterans Cemetery. John Dickey was born in 1919 in Kaycee Wy. to John H. and Estella Ullery Dickey. His father, a Natrona County pioneer who arrived in 1886 from Fort Robinson, Nebraska, worked for the MacDonald Homestead between Arminto and Kaycee, as well as Buffalo Creek and various other ranches. Later the family acquired a ranch on Willow Creek where John and his older sister Elizabeth " Betty" rode horseback three miles each way to attend the lower and upper Willow Creek schools. At age 18, John traveled to Alaska where he worked in a hard rock gold mine. As World War II broke out, he enlisted in the Navy, serving 5 ½ years on a destroyer in the Pacific, Atlantic and Mediterranean Theaters. After the war he worked as a 2nd Assistant Engineer in the U.S. Merchant Marine, making 5 consecutive trips around the world. After ten years of going to sea, he returned to Casper and worked briefly for Mountain States Power Company on North Center Street. He left to spend time as a cowhand at Willow Creek Ranch in the employ of his sister Betty and brother-in-law George Taylor. Deciding to travel once again, John joined the Arabian American Oil Company in Saudi Arabia. He married Martha Thompson Hauf of Casper in 1956 and they made their home in Arabia for the next 11 years. They returned to Casper and John began new phases of his career in real estate and gemology.His hobbies included gun collecting and shooting competitions. He was a lifetime member of the NRA, an 18 year member of The Natrona County Sheriffs Posse and The Casper Pistol Club. During the Summer he enjoyed growing roses and gardening. John and Martha also enjoyed traveling abroad,often with their children in tow. After they retired John and Martha wintered in Palm Springs,Ca. and enjoyed spending time with their Grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents, wife Martha and sister Elizabeth. He is survived by his daughter Lisa Dickey Reamer (Richard) of Casper; son Leo Dickey of Casper; daughter Gwilda Wiyaka of Salida, Colorado; nephew George "Jody" Taylor Jr.(Nancy) of Casper; niece Candace Taylor Lange of Seattle ,6 grandchildren, 8 great grandchildren and many cousins. In lieu of flowers,memorial contributions may be made to The Alzheimer's and Dementia Organization or the NRA. John and his cousin, Jim Ullery, were interviewed by Patricia Ullery Whitaker for The Voice in the June 15, 2004 edition. Here are a few of John's recollections of growing up on Willow Creek . " Dad suffered from severe arthritis, and I learned to do most of the home ranch work as I was growing up. It was hard work. We had 200 head of cows, six horses, along with farming 30 acres of alfalfa. "We made the two-day trip to Casper about once every three months or so. We had a 1919 Dodge and it was dirt roads all the way to town. Until the oil fields were developed, there were no roads between Midwest and Casper. Most of the ranchers shipped their cattle to Omaha, Nebraska and the Dickeys took their stock to Bucknam, the nearest railhead. "Up the creek from the Dickey place lived the Firnekas family and down the creek was the Criswell place. The old Robinson place was in the neighborhood too, and it was rumored to have housed a still during the Prohibition Era. "My cousin Jim Ullery was out at their ranch at Nine Mile and as often as I could I rode my horse out there, which usually took most of a day. To make it really worthwhile, I'd stay a week and then go on back home. "As often as we could, Jim and I would get together to have fun. I would ride into Kaycee where Jim would pick me up in whatever he could find to drive and we would go over to Edgerton to drink and court the girls at Pat Nash's saloon. Gas for these trips wasn't a problem, as we would get it from anyone who wasn't looking." Tapes of this entire conversation are available at Hoofprints of the Past Museum.

Service

Saturday, June 27, 2015 1:00pm

Bustard's Funeral Home

600 CY Avenue

Casper, Wyoming 82601