Charles Robert Dicus

Charles Robert Dicus was born to Chester A. and
Ida (Rogers) Dicus on a farm near Prescott on April
30, 1922. He was raised around the Walla Walla area
and graduated from Walla Walla High School.

Charles enlisted in the Army in 1942 and served in
the Pacific Theatre, where he received two Purple
Hearts for injuries sustained while he was in the
Philippines and Okinawa. He and Joyce Hastings
were married in Walla Walla on Jan. 17, 1941.

With the exception of a short time spent living in
Alaska, he spent the rest of his life living in the Pacific
Northwest, where he was a farmer, finish carpenter
and worked in construction. He built many
homes and schools in the Walla Walla and Tri-Cities
area and also constructed many tire stores for Les
Schwab in Washington and Oregon. He helped build
the original facilities at the Whitman Mission National
Monument, and went to work for the National
Park Service as the first maintenance supervisor at
the Mission. He returned to government service with
the park service in 1983 and worked at Mount Rainier
National Park until his retirement in 1989.

Charles loved the outdoors and spent a great deal of
time camping and riding horses in the Blue Mountains
of Southeastern Washington and Northeastern
Oregon.

Charles was preceded in death by his parents; his
brothers, Wayne and Vernon; and his sister, Dora.
Charles is survived by his wife, Joyce of Walla Walla;
his son, Lee of Elgin, Ore.; and daughters, Lynn
Stephens of Cheney, Wash., Cheryl (Dale) Isakson of
Wasilla, Alaska, and Karen (Todd) Johnston of Burien,
Wash.; six grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren.

Memorial contributions may be made to either the
Charles R. and Joyce M. Dicus Endowed Scholarship
or the Waitsburg Presbyterian Church through Herring
Groseclose Funeral Home, 315 W. Alder, Walla
Walla. Charles’ remains will eventually be interred
at the Washington State Veteran’s Cemetery in Medical
Lake.