Bob was born November 20, 1959 in Madison, WI to Richard and Mary Eileen (Leary) Dickman. He attended Stoughton High School, where he was a stand-out athlete, and graduated in 1978. Bob attended Indiana State University on a wrestling scholarship, and during his athletic career earned numerous accolades, including two-time NCAA Division I Wrestling All-American. Bob was inducted into the ISU wrestling Hall of Fame in 2013.
Bob graduated with a degree in Criminology and married Sheila Bannigan, also of Stoughton, in 1984. Bob and Sheila soon moved to Santa Fe, where Bob became Compliance Monitor of the New Mexico State Penitentiary. By 1987 baby number three was on the way, and the couple returned to Wisconsin where Bob began his 28-year career at the Marathon County Jail. Throughout his tenure, he worked to expand educational opportunities for incarcerated people. He respected, valued, and befriended many of his colleagues. Bob retired as Jail Administrator in April 2013.
Young lovers Bob and Sheila had an inauspicious beginning: after a doubled-up ride with Sheila on her banana seat bike ended in a crash, Bob tried a first kiss. The pair would go on to have five children in almost as many years. Bob shared with his children his love of gardening, fishing, catching crawdads, literature, films, and homemade potato pancakes. As a father he didn’t raise his voice or his hand, but rather led by example. His good humor – and willingness to squawk like a chicken, baa like a sheep, and moo through his nose at a moment’s notice – brought joy and laughter to the household.
Bob is survived by his wife Sheila Bannigan; his five children Mary (Cole) Swanson, Sean Dickman, Caitlin (Louis DeVita) Dickman, Kimberly (Julien Jolivette) Dickman, and Alaine (Scott Heffernan) Dickman; grandchild Clio James Dickman; mother Eileen; and siblings Mary (Joey) Stolzmann, Nancy Dickman, Michael Dickman, and Thomas (Tracey Schindler) Dickman. He is preceded in death by his father, Richard, and by his brother, Steven Dickman.
Remembrances for Bob’s family and friends can be shared at dignitymemorial.com. Donations in his memory can be made to the Lewy Body Dementia Association (LBDA) at 912 Killian Hill Road SW Suite 205 Lilburn, GA 30047 or at www.lbda.org.
Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.howemortuary.com for the Dickman family.
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