Obituary of Pauline W. "Polly" Dickson

Pauline (Polly) Harriet Weir Dickson, 93, died on Thursday December 22, 2011 after a period of declining health. She was a long-time resident of Western NY, and was active in many family, church, music, and community circles. She loved the rolling hills of Chautauqua County, and enjoyed exploring its byways and back roads to find vistas, pussy willows, lupine, or the studio of a local craftsperson. She designed their family home in the tradition of Frank Lloyd Wright, designed and sewed clothing, painted, threw pottery, and sang in the church and Mozart choirs. She was an exceptional cook and loved to share her home with friends and distant family members. Pauline was born in Edwardsville, IL, the eldest child of Clyde Earl Weir and Ida Hope Curtis. She spent her early years in Corry, PA, and moved to Fredonia as a girl and later to Dunkirk, where she graduated in the Dunkirk High School class of 1935. She enrolled in home economics at Michigan State University, where she also pursued courses in drafting and architecture. She completed her education at the Rochester Institute of Technology, where she transferred to be near her future husband, William A. Dickson. They married in Sept. 1941, just before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Her husband completed medical school and accepted a reserve commission with the US Navy. Following the birth of their first son, Pauline moved to Kenmore NY to live with her parents during the war. She supported the war effort as a welder and draftsman at Linde Air Products. After the war and the completion of her husband's medical training in NYC, they lived briefly on the west coast before moving to Jamestown. She raised five children while her husband built his medical practice. She was an active member in the First Presbyterian Church of Jamestown throughout her life, and was one of the first two women to become a church elder. She was active on the boards of numerous community organizations, including the YWCA, the Agnes and Warner Homes, the General Hospital Auxiliary, and she volunteered for Lutheran Social Services for more than 20 years. Later in life, she joined the Audubon, where she volunteered and enjoyed exploring the trails. Pauline is survived by her five children and their spouses: Peter W. Dickson of Houston, TX, Wendy O'Connor (Dennis) of Jamestown, NY, Julie Dickson (Jay Smeltz) of Keene, NH, Laurie Dickson of Durango, CO and Andrew Dickson (Janet Chew) of Jamestown, NY. She will be missed by her three grandchildren, Jennifer O'Connor Shafer (Matthew Shafer), Hannah Dickson Smeltz (Spartan Giordano) and Andrew Smeltz, two great-grandchildren, Finlan and Daly Shafer and her many nieces and nephews. She was preceded in her death by her husband, Dr. William A. Dickson, who passed in 1987; her brother, David Weir; and sisters, Nancy Sparks and Margaret Graham. The family will hold a celebration of her life in the spring to be announced by the Lind Funeral Home. Memorials may be directed to the Jamestown Audubon Society to honor her love of nature or the YWCA of Jamestown to honor her activities to improve the lives of girls and women.