WELLS — He grew up in Wells, graduated from Wells High School and spent his entire adult life working in his family’s business in Wells, while plowing driveways on the side.
Terence Daniel Dickerson died Saturday at York Hospital, surrounded by his family. He was 44.
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“He was all about family,” said his sister Tracy Thibodeaux of Lisbon. “And he loved Wells because it had that small-town atmosphere.”
Mr. Dickerson was born on the Fourth of July.
“July 4 was a huge part of who Terry was,” Thibodeaux said. “My parents always held a family cookout on July 4. It was a big thing for us.”
After graduating from Wells High School in 1984, he went to work for his father’s flooring business. Howe’s Floor Store was established in 1941.
His father, Daniel Dickerson, started working at Howe’s when he was 17. He took ownership of the flooring store from Frank Howe, and operates it still.
Mr. Dickerson followed in his father’s footsteps, starting by working part time at the store when he was in his teens.
He spent 30 years working at Howe’s Floor Store, most of that time as its sales manager. In addition to working with his father, he got to work with his brother, Tom Dickerson of Wells.
“I think my brother liked the fact that we could all work together,” Tom Dickerson said of the three decades they spent working together.
He said the three men operated the store on their own.
When he wasn’t working at Howe’s, Mr. Dickerson plowed driveways with his “pride and joy,” a Ford F-350 pickup truck.
“He plowed a lot of driveways in the town of Wells,” his brother said. “At one time, I think he had 40 customers.”
Mr. Dickerson also enjoyed taking his truck to Wells Beach or Wells Harbor during storms.
He liked to park the truck next to the seawall and let giant waves splash over it. He would bring his dog, Lance the Wonder Dog, with him.
It was a ritual that his brother frowned on because of the damage the salt could cause to a truck’s engine and body, but it was one that Mr. Dickerson thoroughly enjoyed.
His sister said Mr. Dickerson would build a float each December for the Wells Christmas parade. He pulled each float with his truck.
Mr. Dickerson’s favorite getaway was a camp that his family rented on Mousam Lake in York County. He spent the better part of 40 summers at the lake, boating, riding personal watercraft and swimming.
“The camp was a big part of our lives,” Thibodeaux said.
His family said Mr. Dickerson led an active civic life. He earned the rank of 32nd degree Mason and belonged to the Wells Elks Club.
He loved movies, was a big fan of Maine comedian Bob Marley, and enjoyed listening to the music of Stephen Stills.
“Terry was very smart, outgoing and a real people person,” his sister said. “He leaves a big hole in our hearts and our family.”
Staff Writer Dennis Hoey can be contacted at 791-6365 or at: dhoey@pressherald.com
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