Alice Louise Dickinson's Obituary
Alice Louise Howard was born in the schoolhouse in Musselshell, Montana on May 16, 1927. Her mother was the school teacher and her father was a rancher. She was the oldest of six children with two older half-siblings. The family moved to Stevensville, Montana when she was about 8, under the Dust Bowl resettlement program. Alice graduated from Stevensville High School in 1945.
After graduation, she immediately went to work for the Western Union Telegraph Company and was sent to San Francisco for six weeks of training as a teletype operator. She was assigned to Aberdeen, Washington where she met John “Jack” Dickinson, an electrical technician from the Tacoma office. She was transferred to Tacoma, Washington and married Jack on September 11, 1948. Darlene was born a year later on September 9, 1949. Sandra was born December 12, 1954. Jack received a promotion, and the family moved to Portland, Oregon in April 1955.
Alice was a dedicated homemaker for her husband and girls. She was an excellent seamstress and always had great conversation with her girls while she was sewing on her machine. She loved to bestow her sewing knowledge on anyone who was willing. She was an excellent cook and always had cookies available in the kitchen.
After her daughters graduated, Alice worked as a receptionist for Kaiser Permanente Medical Center. She fully retired at age 70. She volunteered at Snow Cap Food Bank for 25 years. She was active in the local Gluten Intolerance Group (GIG) and experimented with many gluten-free recipes. She enjoyed travelling, both locally and afar.
Alice was a person who lived and loved her family above all else. She was so proud of both of her girls. Beginning in 1981, she became a Grandma, a title that she cherished and thrived at. She was promoted to Great-Grandma in 2013. After Jack had a debilitating stroke in 1990, she became his lead caretaker until his death in 1994. Her dedication to him made her a role model for those who knew her.
Along with her husband Jack, four of her siblings: Astle Howard, Blanche Campbell, Ivan Howard, and
Ruth Handke precede her in death. She is survived by siblings: Thomas Howard of Gerards Fort, PA,
Helen Swanson of Morris, MN, and Dorothy Hunter of Missoula, MT; daughters Darlene Dickinson, of
Olympia, WA and Sandra Dittmar (Darwin) of Gladstone, OR. Grandchildren: Karen Bolinger of Lacey,
WA, Kristin Simovic of Damascus, OR, Steven Bolinger of Olympia, WA, and Allison Dittmar of Gladstone, OR. Great-grandchildren: Henry, Ruby, and Lucille Bolinger of Olympia, WA and Carson and Greta Simovic of Damascus, OR.
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