ISAAC JACOB VICKAR

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ISAAC (IKE) JACOB VICKAR January 8, 1923 - December 6, 2015 Ike loved people and loved life, and he lived it with gusto and joy. His priorities were family, hard work and public service. He is survived by Margaret, his wife of 67 years; daughter Karen, sons Sherwin and Brent (Don), and grandchildren Linsey and Dana (Brett). Ike was born in Ratner, Saskatchewan and was raised on the family farm near Brooksby in the Jewish pioneer community of Edenbridge. The Vickar family included Ike's parents, his aunt and uncle, and 10 siblings and cousins, all living in a farmhouse near a byway since renamed Vickar Road. He graduated from the Faculty of Agriculture at the University of Saskatchewan in 1946 and established himself in the auto business in Tisdale, SK (population 3,000) in 1952. This became his life's work, continuing in Winnipeg at Pembina Dodge from 1970 through 2006. He did business on the strength of a handshake, and developed a wide circle of customers, employees and associates to whom he was devoted. He retired reluctantly at the age of 83 but maintained an office for several years thereafter. That office became a meeting place for his many associates, all of whom he considered his friends. In Tisdale during the 1950s and 1960s, Ike served on Town Council and the Board of Education. He was the driving force in the creation of the first seniors' residence in the region and championed the modernization of municipal facilities in Tisdale. He was District Governor of the Lions Club and active in provincial and federal politics in the Liberal Party. In Winnipeg, Ike served on the Boards of Seven Oaks Hospital and Shaarey Zedek Synagogue. He was elected to the Presidency of both the Manitoba and Canadian Motor Dealers Associations. In 1986 he was honoured with the Time Magazine Quality Award for community service, the only Chrysler dealer in the country to be so recognized. He volunteered with United Way and Red Cross. He maintained a keen interest in public affairs and read widely and voraciously. Ike was an engaging conversationalist and raconteur, effortlessly ranging from tales of Edenbridge to political anecdotes to the need for improvement of conditions in our aboriginal communities. He relished discussing the finer points of the careers of Churchill, FDR and Mackenzie King. He combined an immense respect for Canadian traditions and symbols with a progressive and modern outlook. Among his many accomplishments, the one he was most proud of was his family. He cared tenderly for Margaret as her health declined in recent years. The joy he took in his children and grandchildren was boundless. Ike's family wishes to thank Rabbi Alan Green as well as the tireless team of caregivers who helped our dad to care for our mother, and who are now part of our family. Donations to Shaarey Zedek Synagogue in Winnipeg gratefully accepted.

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Dec 21, 2015