George Lyle Dickerson

George Lyle Dickerson was born on January 21, 1937 in Pontiac, MI and passed away peacefully at home in the embrace of his family on Saturday, March 7, 2026. Born the youngest child of Bernice Maude Trowbridge and Harold Lee Dickerson, George grew up as a farm boy in Palo, Michigan milking cows, chasing goats, feeding chickens, and driving a tractor as soon as his little arms were long enough to reach the steering wheel. He wasn’t afraid of hard work and would often do odd jobs for friends and neighbors for extra spending money. While attending Ionia High School he was involved in football, basketball, baseball and the glee club. After school you could find him working at a local shoe store and Perrone’s Soda Shop where he met cute little Joann Ellen Hogan who attended Saints Peter and Paul Catholic School. She worked behind the ice cream counter while he roasted peanuts, stocked the shelves and waited on customers. He had to work mighty hard for almost a year to win that first date but his persistence paid off and she finally agreed to go out with him even if he did ride a motorcycle. George joined the United States Air Force serving most of his time stationed in the Aleutian Islands ending his service as an Airman Second Class earning an Air Force Outstanding Unit commendation. George and Joann were married on September 6, 1958. When two little boys came along he gave up his beloved Harley but Joann promised she would buy him a new one as soon as she could. He worked multiple jobs as they started their family until he eventually secured a job with Michigan Bell Telephone Company. The company moved them from town to town until finally settling in Clare, Michigan in 1968 where they bought a small farm on Herrick Road. He liked to fill the barns with a few chickens, a pig here and there and any pony or horse that needed a home just to “keep the kids busy and out of Joann’s hair”. George became a very involved member of the community as a little league coach, a boy scout leader and an auxiliary police officer. He and Joann even earned a Bachelor of Square Dancing degree and enjoyed showing off their talents whenever they could find someone brave enough to babysit five kids. He was an avid bowler on the Wednesday night league, golfed on the Monday night league and went fishing and hunting every chance he could get. He was known for the “beaver wars” he had on the Collom’s hunting property and claims that even though the beavers were persistent, he never gave up. He and Joann attended every sporting event, grandparents day, dance recital, drama production and band concert that their children and grandchildren participated in while in school. Seeing their faces in the crowd meant everything. After thirty-five years with the telephone company, he retired and took every opportunity to make it count. George took Joann to every continent except Antarctica. They safaried in Africa, cruised in Alaska, walked the Great Wall in China, Kissed the Blarney Stone in Ireland, visited concentration camps in Germany, drank wine in France, went to luaus in Hawaii and so much more. Joann documented every trip with a detailed scrapbook full of photos, souvenirs, boarding passes and brochures. True to her word, Joann came through with a brand new motorcycle and, when not traveling the world, they enjoyed cruising the backroads of the lower 48 states plus Canada on their Honda Goldwing. Needing a new challenge he decided to take a class to learn how to drive a big rig and enjoyed being a trucker for a few years. He even took Joann on a few runs in the big rig if it was comfortable enough. Those who knew Big George well can attest to the he fact that he gave the biggest bear hugs and the heartiest, bonecrushing handshakes. He loved his “big boy toys” that he bought just for fun - a backhoe, a dump truck, a couple of tractors, a bulldozer, a four-wheeler, and his prized Mexican Chicken Truck. He would never turn down a bowl of ice cream or a big piece of cherry pie. He was so proud of his children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. Once he became a grandpa he would only drink his morning coffee out of his “Grandpa” mug. He had to repair it a few times but it’s been his mug for almost 40 years. The little boy from Palo, Michigan made it to his eighty-ninth year of life and would often say, “How did I get to be this old?”. Because when you live a life this adventurous with people you love by your side, time flies by - but what a wonderful legacy and beautiful memories you are leaving behind for everyone who was blessed enough to know you. George was predeceased by his wife Joann, son Jeffery Michael, parents Bernice Maude (Trowbridge) Dickerson and Harold Lee Dickerson, sisters Star Ard and Joyce Parker, brother Keith Dickerson and son-in-law Steven Maclean. He is survived by four children Timothy (Theresa) Dickerson of Middleville, MI, Teresa (Keith) Beatty of Clare, MI, James Dickerson of Ceresco, MI and Beth MacLean of Clare, MI; grandchildren Jeff (Karley) Dickerson, Ben (Molly) Dickerson, Nick (Angel) Dickerson, Alec (Lindsay) Dickerson, Hailey (Josh) Barton, Kelsey (Jordan) McConnell, Tyler (Gabrielle) Beatty, Carly (Nate) Jones, Casey (Anthony) Klein, Marlee (Ben Newberry) MacLean, Miles MacLean and Branden Robinson; great-grandchildren Clara Dickerson, Yale McConnell, Bowen McConnell, Colson McConnell, Myler McConnell, Sophia Beatty, Austin Beatty and Levi Klein. A funeral mass in honor of George will take place on Thursday, March 12, 2026 at the Our Lady of Hope Catholic Church of Clare at 11:00 A.M. with military honors to follow. Visitation will be held on Wednesday, March 11th from 4:00 P.M. to 8:00 P.M. at the Clare Chapel of the Stephenson-Wyman Funeral Home. Memorial contributions in honor of George may be directed to the care of Teresa Beatty to establish a CASA scholarship in George’s memory to award a local high school student pursuing the trades. For those unable to attend services, online condolences may be shared at www.stephenson-wyman.com

George Lyle Dickerson

January 21, 1937 - March 7, 2026