Hilary R. Dickinson

Dickinson, Hilary R., 75, May 15, 2008.  Arrangements by Dunn Funeral Home, Houlton.  Interment was held in the Evergreen Cemetery, Houlton.
     Houlton – Hilary Russell Dickinson, 75, died May 15, 2008, at a local healthcare facility, after suffering a fall and long illness of Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s. He was born March 21, 1933, at Debec, NB, Canada, the son of Earl and Myrtle Dickinson.
    Hilary served in the US Army and was a member of the American Legion and the local VFW where he enjoyed the company of many friends. He was a trucker at heart, spending most of his life on the road. He owned and operated his own truck and trailer, then sold it and went to work for several good people. His truck driving days came to an end when he took a run from Houlton to Presque Isle, and after he had delivered the load, he had to ask an employee how to get back to Houlton. Hilary had driven truck for more than 54 years, but could not remember how to get home. He was a county boy, and chose to stay single. Because of his illness, he didn’t want to go out in public much in the last few years. He missed having coffee and chatting with friends. He was a person who would give you a helping hand when needed. After not being able to take care of himself, Hilary chose to stay with his sister Joyce and her husband Rick in Bangor for several months. He finally wanted to go to Madigan Estates, when the time came. He wanted to be close to home. They thought a lot of him and spent time with him. This kept his spirits high. Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s, together were a part of Hilary’s life for more years than we actually knew. He covered up well, but had a lot of help from his friends. As we talked about his diseases while he lived with us, he would be reminded of incidents that happened even 10 or 15 years ago, and wondered if those times had anything to do with it.
    We as a family would like to thank the friends and people of Houlton businesses that helped Hilary cope with the chores of daily life, as his diseases got worse. We later found out how much you all had helped him when he needed someone to care. We want to say thank you to the people who took care of Hilary in his last years at Madigan Estates. We also want to extend a special Thank you to the people at the Intensive Care Unit at Houlton Regional Hospital, for their warm hearts! It is hard to take care of a person who has an advanced case of Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s, together.
    Hilary is survived by his sister, Joyce Dorr and her husband Rick of Bangor; several nieces and nephews: Robert Garcelon and his wife Nancy of Hermon, children, Christina and Christopher; Ricky Garcelon and his wife Lisa of Brewer children, Kelley and Travis; Michael Garcelon and his wife Christine of Kenduskeag, children, Angela and Justin; Stephanie DeRoche and her husband Troy of Levant, children, Nichole and Jessica; cousins, Shirley Hawks of Woodstock, NB, Betty Lou Hawks and her husband Rainer Soegtrop of Toronto, Canada, Robert Hawks of Edmonton, Alberta; very special friend, Josephine Holmes, with whom Hilary spent a lot of time and thought a lot of her and her family, Randy Holmes, Wendy Holmes, Mitchell Holmes, Debbie Michaud, Christopher Holmes, Stephen Holmes and Gregory Holmes; and Ruth Weeks, another very special person, she could always lift his spirits.
    Friends called at the Dunn Funeral Home Saturday 6 to 8 p.m. Funeral services were held at the funeral home Sunday 1:30 p.m. with Rev. Randall Burns officiating. Interment was held in the Evergreen Cemetery. Gifts may be made in Hilary’s memory to the Parkinson’s Research or the Alzheimer’s Research, c\o Dunn Funeral Home, 11 Park Street, Houlton, 04730.