In memory of

Richard Gordon Dykes

September 4, 1933 - July 22, 2024

Richard (Rick) Dykes of Duplex Crescent, Toronto, died at the age of 90 at Sunnybrook Hospital on July 22, 2024. He was the eldest of 3 brothers. John (deceased in the UK) and Peter a resident of Australia.

Richard was born in Somerset, England in 1933 the eldest son of Arthur and Margaret Dykes. Richard moved to Canada in May 1952 where he joined Western British Insurance.

Richard remained with that company until his retirement. He became one of the leading authorities on Fleet insurance in Ontario and on his retirement was asked to write the definitive manual on Fleet insurance for Ontario.

Richard visited many of his relatives in BC, England and Australia throughout his life.

He will be greatly missed by his extended family and dearest friends. The love and support from those friends cannot be understated.

There will be a Celebration of Life and the scattering of his ashes in the Rose Garden of Remembrance at Mount Pleasant Cemetery on August 3, 2024 at 2:00 pm

Guestbook

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Mike and Melody Violette (Friend)

Entered July 25, 2024 from Courtice

Friends are the family we choose. While we might have lost you, the times spent together and the memories will never be lost.

Howard Schneider (Neighbor)

Entered August 3, 2024

My condolences to Rick’s family and friends.

Ann McAdam nee: Sweet (co worker at Royal Insurance)

Entered September 29, 2024 from Scarborough

I remember when I first met Richard (Dick) Dykes back in the late 70s. He was the head of the Fleet Department and I was an underwriter at the time and would have to refer to Mr.Dykes for authorization on fleets above my authority. I would hear other underwriters going into his office daily to seek his authorization and hear him raise his voice and scold them over and over again. I dreaded the day I would have to refer something to him in fear of being yelled at. That day arrived and I knocked on his office door and he said "Come in". I walked in and took a seat in the chair next to his desk and began to explain the name of the fleet I was working on and showed him my file with very clear hand written steps of how I had calculated the suggested premium. I was waiting for him to start yelling at me but to my surprise he said " Well done please proceed!" Over the next 10 years that I was in that department he never did raise his voice or scold me. When he retired I met him a few times at a local supermarket and I confessed with him how I had been afraid of him at one time and he just laughed. He said it was true he had no patience for those that did not learn and kept repeating errors but that he never found any errors in my work. I told him my motto was "Take your time and do things correctly the first time then rush through things doing a sloppy job with numerous errors" Rest In Peace Richard (Dick) Dykes. You may no longer be physically here but your memories live on !

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