Surrounded by those he held dear, Robert L. Wickham died April 12, 2024, at the venerable age of 96.
He loved his family, his country, music, animals and small children.
Born in Canandaigua, N.Y. on Sept. 29, 1927, Robert joined the Army Air Corps after high school. He served in Frankfurt, Germany, as an air traffic controller during the Berlin Air Lift.
Returning home, he attended Rochester Business Institute in upstate New York, and married his high school sweetheart, Shirley Willer, in 1950. They raised two daughters, Kelley and Shawne, and Dad doted on his girls, hauling them to their sports games, scouting, play rehearsals and music concerts.
A proud veteran, he worked for the Veterans Administration his entire career, starting out as a ward clerk and retiring as a hospital director after more than 35 years of service.
He and Shirley moved to Lebanon, Pennsylvania, when they retired, and that's where they enthusiastically embraced antiquing, attending estate sales and flea markets in search of treasures. Robert also amassed an extensive collection of historical postcards featuring V.A. hospitals and veterans homes from around the country.
In early 2022, Robert moved to New Hampshire to be closer to family, and he enjoyed the wildlife and scenery of the Granite State in his final years.
A lifelong golfer, Robert regularly shot his age starting in his early 70s. And while he rarely bragged, he also achieved three holes-in-one over the years. He also enjoyed fishing with his buddy, Peter.
But his greatest source of pride and happiness was his family. He was thrilled to meet his great-grandson, Arthur, born in 2023.
Robert was a master – and even rumored to be the actual originator - of Dad jokes. Even as his health became challenging, he never lost his sense of humor and silliness.
Robert was predeceased by Shirley, his wife of 62 years, and by his beloved son-in-law, Timothy Wickham-Crowley.
His family includes daughters Kelley Wickham-Crowley of Fairfax, Virginia, and Shawne Wickham of Hopkinton; son-in-law Ric Waldman of Hopkinton; grandson Bryn Waldwick and his wife Kate Waldwick of Portsmouth; great-grandson Arthur Waldwick; sisters Pat O'Donnell and Betty Lou Wickham of upstate New York; and best friends Donna and Peter Wetterlin of Ephrata, Pennsylvania.
A faithful convert to Catholicism, Dad was surely welcomed to the heavenly kingdom with these words: "Well done, good and faithful servant."
A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Wednesday, April 17th at 4 PM at Christ the King Parish, 72 South Main Street, Concord.
Robert will be buried with military honors at the Indiantown Gap National Cemetery in Annville, Pennsylvania, alongside Shirley.
In gratitude for their compassionate care in Dad's final days, the family requests that memorial contributions be made to: Granite VNA Hospice House, 240 Pleasant St., Concord, NH 03301. (www.granitevna.org/donate)