Obituary of Lynn Delee Dickson
Lynn “Delee” Dickson, late of Regina, SK, passed away suddenly on Friday, September 28, 2018 at the age of 69 years. She was predeceased by her father William Dickson; son-in-law Joel Sadilek; and grandparents, Melvin and Evelyn Argue, Herbert Dickson and Grace Baird. Delee will be lovingly remembered by her daughters, Jana Ritter of Los Angeles and Jill Gold of Abbotsford, BC; mother Gwen Dickson of St. Albert, AB; brothers, Rob (Carol) Dickson of St. Albert, AB and Dave (Carol Anne) Dickson of P.E.I.; as well as several nieces, nephews, extended family members, and friends.
Delee was a bright, beautiful, and gifted lady. She grew up playing piano, taking tap dancing and acrobatics, and cheerleading for the Saskatchewan Roughriders. She enjoyed track and field events and other athletics. Delee excelled at most of them, often winning awards and accolades for her many achievements. She worked for the Provincial Government and later the University of Saskatchewan. Delee married Orrin Ritter and they had two precious daughters, Jana and Jill. Her girls were Delee’s life. She loved them passionately and unconditionally! When Delee’s struggles with mental health escalated, she found herself in a world where she was often lonely, confused, and misunderstood. Yet, she was remarkably accepting of her new reality and was always grateful for the compassion and care she received from her dear friends at the Phoenix Residential Society and the Mental Health Department. Delee was easy to love. She was soft spoken, kind, generous, and gentle to all she met. She trusted everyone and judged no one. Delee’s laughter punctuated a very dry sense of humour. She was a poster child for good manners. Delee taught us how to hit the “pause button” in our lives, to appreciate the simple things, to walk slower, and to chat with a stranger. She was loyal and genuine, with a delightful, childlike innocence. Like an ever-changing kaleidoscope, Delee’s days were interspersed with wonder at the amazing mosaics, other days, full of fragility and spinning out of control, never quite knowing what the next turn might bring. Delee was unaware that the spinning would soon stop. No more emotional upheavals, times of insecurity, or noted degrees of wellness on someone’s chart. Some weeks before her passing, Delee moved to a new residence. She loved it there, and quickly endeared herself to the other residents and a cat named Charlie, who loved her. Delee’s final days were the happiest she had been in decades. She chose a very special friend, Jenna Palmier, to be her guardian angel on September 28th, to help ease her passing.
Every year a flower pokes through the boards of a very long fence to produce a brilliant single blossom on the other side. What was its purpose, one wonders. How stubborn it was to have worked its way through that barrier. There is a very thin veil between life and death. You have found your way over to the other side, Delee. Bloom brightly. While we celebrate a life “well lived” on this side of the fence, your beautiful petals are unfolding elsewhere…in God’s private garden.
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