DaveWickershampassedawayonFebruary3,2025,fourmonthsshyofhis90thbirthday, after a hard fought battle with RSV pneumonia with his two daughters by his side. He was a loving husband and devoted dad, and deeply missed.
Dad was born in New York City in 1935, and was adopted by Harold and Mary Lou Wickersham. Dad went to Covina High School in California where he fell for a smart, kind and beautiful young woman named Esther. Esther and Dave got married in March 1956. Dad graduated from the University of Redlands, and after graduation, the couple settled in West Covina, welcoming daughter Margo in 1959. Daughter Tracey followed four years later.
Dad worked briefly as an LAPD police officer, something he remained very proud of, but his career was in education. He received his Masters in Education from Whittier College, and did post graduate work at Claremont Graduate School, UCLA and the University of Washington. He taught at Glendale High School, Citrus College, and became the Vice Principal for Goddard Junior High in Glendora, CA.
In 1968, Dave and Esther moved their young family from Los Angeles to Enumclaw, Washington. Dad was offered the Vice Principal job at Enumclaw High School, and mom and dad were excited about moving to a more rural area with less pollution, more nature, and a perceived better quality of life, even though it meant leaving a large and close-knit extended family behind. They bought property at the foot of Mount Peak and built the home where our family would live. Dad served as Principal of Enumclaw High School from 1971- 1981, when he shifted to Principal of JJ Smith Elementary School, and then Principal of the Black DiamondK-8schooluntilheretired in 1993. Mom and dad moved to Port Hadlock, Washington on the Olympic Peninsula, and built their retirement home on a multi-acre lot with stunning mountain and water views. They enjoyed their boat and were active members of the local yacht club. They traveled to many destinations across the US and Canada. Both kept active caring for their land, and dad took special pride in keeping his many bird feeders stocked so he could watch the activity from the breakfast table. He also became proficient at managing his investments and took great pleasure in always learning and keeping up on financial news. They welcomed their grandchild Riley in 1994 and loved him immensely. Mom’s health and memory began to decline in recent years and dad took on new roles of caregiving. His love and support of mom enabled her to achieve her goal of staying at home and not having to move to a care community.
She died in March of 2022, three days after their 66th wedding anniversary.
Dad moved to the Lynnwood Quail Park retirement community in summer of 2022.While he never quite adjusted to everything about “city living” he proved remarkably resilient and integrated himself into his new community, serving on numerous committees and making friends. We’ve heard that his funny stories and love of bad jokes kept the dining tables laughing. Dad is survived by his daughters Margo Bykonen and Tracey Wickersham, his sons-in-law Tom Bykonen and Stephen Marcus, his grandson and granddaughter-in-law Riley and Halee (Ross) Bykonen, and his greatgrandson Jack. We will remember dad always for his devoted love of his wife and family; his support for animal welfare and environmental organizations; his hilarious turns of phrase that weren’t quite like anyone else, his love of butterscotch anything, and his unique self. He was a passionate jazz music listener, with a large LP collection that eventually morphed into a huge curated Spotify library. We’ll be having a friends and family remembrance celebration in early June. Please contact Tracey or Margo for details. We love you forever dad.
