Ronald Charles Vickery Dies At 65

By: Enterprise Staff
Published: 01/06/11

Ronald Charles Vickery of Monument Beach died at home on January 4. He was 65.

The husband of recently retired Bourne Council on Aging Director Sandra A. Vickery for 42 years, he was a “kind, caring man” whom friends described as “always ready to help.”

“He was always on hand through the years, helping in some way or another: to build, to fix, to move furniture. He did it all,” said Patricia A. Houde, the council’s assistant director.

Mr. Vickery was the son of the late Bruce and Pauline Vickery of Pocasset. Although a longtime resident of Cape Cod, he was born in Boston and graduated from Mansfield High School in 1963. He was also a graduate of Massachusetts College of Art, where he earned a degree in industrial design.

Upon graduation, he enlisted in the US Navy and was a Vietnam veteran.

The former vice president and director of Atlantic Power/W.J. Connell Co., he was often in demand by the small engine suppliers Briggs and Stratton, Tecumseh, and Kohler for speaking engagements. In 1983, he was a featured speaker at the Garden Industry of America Conference and Trade Show in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

From 1988 to 1990, he was the executive director of the Engine Service Association Inc., an education and service organization supporting 25,000 small engine dealers in North America.

His mechanical engineering background led him to the job at Falmouth Scientific. He retired in 2008.
As a youth, Mr. Vickery spent his summers on the Cape and became an avid boater, boat builder, and boat collector. He loved to sail, and took every opportunity to spend time on the water with his family.

Besides his wife, Mr. Vickery is survived by his children, Jonathan B. Vickery of Buzzards Bay and Thomas J. Vickery of Centerville; and two grandchildren, Emma and Tyler Vickery of Buzzards Bay.
Visiting hours are Monday, January 10, from 5 to 8 PM at the Nickerson-Bourne Funeral Home, 50 MacArthur Boulevard, Bourne. Funeral and burial services will be private.

Gifts in his memory may be made to the Friends of the Bourne Council on Aging, 239 Main Street, Buzzards Bay, MA.