Oliver Dickinson

Oliver Paul Dickinson Oliver "Ole" Dickinson, of Amboy, age 92, died Friday July 16, 2010. Ole was born July 30, 1917 in Amboy to Oliver A. and Marcella (Carroll) Dickinson. He attended and graduated from St. Anne's Grade School and Amboy High School. He then attended Coppien Business College. Ole was employed as the manager of the Lee County Grain Association in Lee Center. After Pearl Harbor he enlisted in the Navy. He earned the rank of Chief Petty Officer while serving in the Pacific Theatre of World War II. Upon returning from the service he bought into the hardware business with Robert Nowe. In 1955 he became sole owner of Dickinson Hardware where it remained a fixture of downtown Amboy until his retirement in 1995 at the age of 78. Ole was a lifetime member of St. Patrick's Church in Amboy. His enduring dedication to Amboy civic causes included his roles as presidents of the Amboy Chamber of Commerce, the Shady Oaks Country Club, and the Lions Club. The Melvin Jones Fellow Award was awarded to Ole by the Lions Club International Foundation. He was also an active member of several other local organizations including the American Legion, the Elks Club of Dixon, and a Fourth Degree Knights of Columbus. Ole's intense love of sports started as a Center for the Amboy High School football team Class of 1935. He remained an avid "Clipper Booster", a Chicago Bear and a Chicago Cub fan for his entire life. After high school Ole found golf. He not only played golf for the rest of his life, he was a founding member of Shady Oaks Country Club. Ole's foursome (Bill, Charlie and Harold) played together every week for the next fifty years. He enjoyed sports but as a child he discovered the outdoors. One could often find Ole tramping through the woods carrying either a shotgun or a fishing pole. Oliver is survived by Eileen "Coke" (Cotter), his wife of sixty-three years; four children Jolene (Hal) Masoncup of Geneva, Daniel (Andrea) Dickinson of Mundelein, Debra Dickinson of Dixon and Paula (Dale) Leffeleman of Amboy; seven grandchildren Traci (Greg) Morris, Sean (Andrea) Masoncup, Sarah (Conrad) Ramirez, Michelle Masoncup, Jacob, Lydia and Conor Leffelman; and six great-grandchildren; his brother James Dickinson (Dixon) and sister-in-law Mary (Charles) Dickinson. He was preceded in death by his sisters, Harriet Dickinson and Jane (Francis) Gehant; brothers Harold (Georgia) Carroll, Charles and Robert Dickinson; sister-in-law Geri (James) Dickinson. The funeral service will be at Wednesday July 21st beginning with a 10:00 prayer services at the Mihm-Jones Funeral Home followed by a 10:30 AM Mass of Christian Burial at St. Patrick's Church in Amboy . Burial will be at St. Patrick's Cemetery in Amboy with military honors by the Amboy American Legion. Visitation will be at the funeral home in Amboy on Tuesday from 4 to 8 with the rosary being said at 7:30 pm. A memorial has been established by the family.

Oliver Dickinson

July 30, 1917 - July 16, 2010