LAMPMAN - Earl Kickley and his wife Eleanor moved to Lampman in 1962 when he was successful with his bid to be the district operator for SaskPower.
Kickley joined the Lampman Lions Club in 1963 as a charter member. At one of the meetings, the group decided they needed a project to work on, and this is when Kickley spoke up and said, “We need a skating rink in our community.”
He became the chairman of the project to get a rink built in the small community. It was a huge undertaking, but with a great deal of community support and volunteers, the rink was built in the following years.
For 25 years, Kickley was on the town council, and he was the mayor of Lampman for 20 of those years. While he was mayor, he was the vice-president for towns with the Saskatchewan Urban Municipalities Association for two years.
During these years he became a father to four children, Shanon, Craig, Dawn and Pamela, and he continued to live in Lampman.
Kickley’s commitment did not end with being mayor; he was a volunteer on the Lampman Fire Department and served as chairman of the Lampman Union Hospital Board and board member of the Saskatchewan Association of Health. He went on to serve as chairman of the Southeast Health District Board and chairman of the Sun Country Health Region Board. It was due to Kickley that an ambulance service was establish in the town and he drove for them for years. He also joined the Lampman branch of the Royal Canadian Legion for many years.
Another passion he had was flying and he loved the Lampman Airport and Pilot’s Club. He spent countless hours maintaining and making improvements on the strip, which seemed to be an endless job, yet he loved it.
During these years, he was a dedicated husband and father who felt strongly about a caring and vibrant community.
In 2018, Kickley passed away at the age of 81, but he is remembered in the Lampman community as always being busy and striving to make Lampman a better place to live and raise a family.
The Kickley family was very honoured when the town decided to name the airport road after him; it is now called the Kickley Road.
They said he would be proud to have the Kickley name on this road as he always stood up for the town that he called home for most of his life.
The naming of the road was done on Sept. 28 during the Music in the Park festivities held at the Shirley Carson Therapeutic Park.
