Robert L. Dickmeyer

Robert L. Dickmeyer

Mar 14, 1926 – Mar 9, 2017

Preceded in death by parents, Herman and Lily Dickmeyer; wife, Margaret; brothers, Paul and Don.  Survived by children: Julie Mahoney (Skeets), Lisa Peden (Charles), and Mark Dickmeyer; grandchildren: Alyssa Fezio, Seth Peden, and Holly Peden; great-grandchild, Alice Lambert; many nieces and nephews.

The family will receive friends Friday, March 17th, from 5pm to 7pm at the Bel Air Chapel.  SERVICES Saturday, March 18th at 11am, Presbyterian Church of the Cross, 1517 So. 114th St.  Graveside Service Saturday, 2:30pm, Wabash Cemetery in Murdock, NE.  Memorials are suggested to to Presbyterian Church of the Cross or the Alzheimer’s Foundation.

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A TRIBUTE TO THE LIFE OF ROBERT DICKMEYER

    Robert was born on March 14, 1926 to Herman and Lily Dickmeyer in Fremont,  Nebraska.  He was the youngest of three boys, Paul being the oldest and Don in the middle.  As a young boy, Bob began his first real job as a paper boy and loved riding his bicycle around Fremont because it was so flat!  Brought up in a rather strict German Missouri Synod Lutheran home, he attended a Lutheran elementary school.  In 1935, when he was only nine years old, he lost his father to cancer.  At the time, he was quarantined with scarlet fever so his father’s casket was placed on the front porch of their home and Bob could only view his father through the front window of the house.  During the Great Depression, the life of a single mother with three children was difficult as jobs for women were scarce, so eventually Lily traveled to New York City and sold baked goods on the streets while her young son “Joe,” as he was nicknamed by his brothers, moved in with his brother Don who was newly married.  In 1943 with his brothers going off to war, Bob moved to New York to be with his mother and spent his senior year at Oyster Bay High School.  In those days, Oyster Bay was home to some of the nation’s wealthiest—some years prior, Teddy Roosevelt had a home there. His mother had obtained a position as a housekeeper and cook in the home of one such family, so Bob had the thrill of living in a huge mansion and riding his bicycle all around New York City in the days when it was safe to do so!  After graduation, he went back to Fremont and in 1944 was introduced to his soon-to-be wife, Margaret. Soon after, he departed for boot camp and then the South Pacific.  Their relationship grew through letters overseas and, after the war ended, they were married at Margaret’s family’s farm in Murdock, Nebraska on June 6, 1948.

Bob got a job working for Western Electric which eventually moved the newlyweds to Omaha.  They bought their first home in South Omaha—it had a dugout dirt basement and no indoor toilet! A quick study, Bob bought books on woodworking, plumbing, and electrical wiring and by himself, put in an indoor bathroom, new kitchen, and a basement.  In this little two-bedroom home, Margaret and Bob had three children together, Julie, Mark and Lisa.  Bob’s career moved him to Northwestern Bell Telephone Company, and in 1962 the couple moved to a brand new house in West Omaha where they lived the rest of their life together. Soon after moving, Margaret and Bob joined the Presbyterian Church of the Cross, beginning a 55- year commitment to service in the Church.  His knowledge about finances (and frugality!) made him a valued member of the Board of Trustees.  As a faithful attendee at services every Sunday, Bob was frequently called upon to usher.  The warm, welcoming personalities emanating from him and Margaret made them popular greeters also!

Bob was a dedicated employee of “Ma Bell” and his commitment to his job brought him many promotions during his 35 years of service to the company.  Working his way up from a switching station repairman to a department manager, he worked in the engineering and traffic departments as a planner.  Always placing his family first, he turned down his last big promotion to an upper level management position because it meant moving his family from Omaha to Fargo, North Dakota and Bob wanted his family to remain close to friends, relatives, Westside Schools, and the Church of the Cross.

In 1982, Bob had the opportunity to retire early after the split of the Bell System, an opportunity he jumped on!  He was only 56 years old and with his whole life ahead of him, he was able to begin doing what he really loved to do—build things!  He single-handedly built an addition onto the back of the house which included a full-sized woodworking shop, a new basement area and an extension to the dining area that, 35 years later, would become the hospice space for both him and his wife.  Before that however, it was the space that allowed them to expand a dining table to over 20 feet in length.  This was the site of many Thanksgiving dinners and gatherings with Margaret’s large family, many Christmas luncheons for Margaret’s handbell choir members, appetizer munching by the Church of the Cross Friday Night Gourmets for many years, and even a wedding dinner when his daughter, Lisa, was married in their home.  The family also celebrated another marriage in their home when his daughter Julie married her husband, Skeets Mahoney.

Not only did Bob’s early retirement give him the opportunity to build, but it also began what would become more than 30 years of fun travel for him and Margaret, including six cruises, a trip to England and Ireland with extended family members, and countless car trips to both coasts.  His daughter Lisa, who had moved to Texas, brought three grandchildren and one great-granddaughter into the world.  This meant lots and lots of trips down south to visit grandchildren.  His daughter Julie had moved to Arizona—and that gave them a place to spend an extended time in the winter months, also.

One of the common interests that Bob and Margaret shared was a love of music.  Bob’s favorite instrument was the pipe organ, and he frequently took the family to Omaha area churches to hear Sunday afternoon concerts.  They also loved to go to the Omaha Symphony, and they attended concerts presented by the Nebraska Wind Symphony, Orchestra Omaha, the SAC Band, and recitals in the Strauss at UNO.   One of their favorite summer activities was going to outdoor concerts, especially at Rockbrook on Friday nights.

Among Bob’s hobbies was working on his cars—an interest he acquired from his father, who was a mechanic.  Too young to have learned the skill before his father died, Bob took it upon himself to learn everything he could about a car’s engine by reading books and working from complex shop manuals.  He also did all of the work on his three children’s cars!  Bob was a wise investor, and in 1959 he purchased a piece of rental property near Rosenblatt Stadium.  He loved being a landlord and devoted countless hours to improving, remodeling, and maintaining his property—which he fondly referred to as “the gold mine.”

Always a kid at heart, Bob loved to take his family to parades in downtown Omaha in the days when parades were more frequent, and he loved marches, especially those by John Philip Sousa.  Every summer, he took the family on a summer vacation—usually a car trip.  His love of the mountains and nature took them to Colorado, the Black Hills in South Dakota, Idaho and Wyoming. He loved sight-seeing and would makes frequent stops at monuments and overlooks, sometimes to the dismay of his family!  But he liked big cities, too, and the family’s home movies are filled with extended segments of film going up and down…and UP and DOWN…all of the tall buildings!

In their later years, Margaret became disabled and, for more than seventeen years, Bob could be seen pushing her around in her wheelchair at church, concerts, stores, the pharmacy, doctors’ offices, and especially at their favorite place to go on Sunday after church—the Village Inn!  Everyone knew them!  As his dementia progressed, life became more difficult, but because of their devotion to each other, they were able to remain in their home to the end of their lives with Margaret being the “director” and Bob being the willing “go-fer.”  A loving caregiver, he would do anything and everything for his adoring wife of 68 years.  This love story continued till the day Margaret passed away on February 23rd.  Four days earlier, Bob had suffered a debilitating stroke that left him paralyzed on his left side, unable to swallow and mentally impaired, but even in this condition, the family knew that Bob sensed his wife’s absence. He entered hospice and they were reunited in eternal life on March 9th, exactly two weeks after Margaret’s passing.  Bob lived a long life that was rich and full.  His generosity, selflessness, wisdom, joviality, and practical approach to problem-solving will always be remembered by those who knew him and loved him.   This was our Dad, Bob Dickmeyer.