WICKMAN

Posted by Cathy Gowdy on Wednesday, January 14, 2009 at 05:08:42 :

The Marin Journal
Thursday, May 29, 1913
Page 1

Sudden Death of Dr. W. J. Wickman
Was Stricken With Heart Failure & Died Almost Instantly

The sudden death of Dr. W. J. Wickman, which occurred at 9:30 o’clock Thursday morning, May 29th, was a great shock to the community.

Thursday morning he visited a patient, made out a prescription, and went to the morgue to be present at the autopsy held over the body of William Barnes.

He conversed sociably with physicians in Sawyer’s parlors for fifteen or twenty minutes, and then went home to breakfast.

He asked for a cereal, but had only taken a few spoonfuls when he got up from the table, saying that he felt badly. He was assisted up stairs and gotten to bed, but only lived eight minutes from the beginning of the attack. Drs. Davis, Marston and W. F. Jones were in the house in a few minutes, but despite their efforts, the heart throbs were weaker and weaker until life were extinct.

While his death was not expected and comes as a surprise and shock to his family and friends, it was known that he was subject to severe attacks of heart trouble, and was liable to die at any time from heart failure.

Dr. Wickman was recognized as one of the ablest physicians in Marin county, and was one of the most popular and most highly esteemed men in San Rafael. He has taken an active part in public affairs and for the past ten years or more has been president of the San Rafael board of education.

Dr. Wickman was born February 22, 1855 and is therefore 58 years of age.

The funeral will take place from St. Raphael’s church at 10 o’clock on Saturday morning where a High Mass will be said for the repose of his soul, and the interment will be in Holy Cross cemetery, San Mateo.

The Marin Journal
Thursday, June 5, 1913
Page 4

Dr. Wickman

William Joseph Wickman, son of William J. and Margaret Wickman, was born in San Francisco on February 22, 1855, and died in San Rafael, Cal., on May 29th, 1913.

He was a brother of the late J. F. Wickman, and of Miss E. A. Wickman, deceased, and of Mrs. G. O’Neil, who lives at 2402 California street, San Francisco.

He was educated in the public schools of San Francisco, being an alumnus of Lincoln school. A year ago he attended a reunion of the former pupils of this school, and sat at a banquet with several hundred of his old schoolmates.

At the age of 14 he went to the Christian Brothers’ school at Santa Barbara, where he remained until he was sixteen, when he went to Ireland to study for the priesthood. After seven years in Mount Mellory College and All Hallows College, he decided to return to American and take up the study of medicine. He graduated from the medical department of the state university, and opened an office in Hayes Valley, San Francisco; he had practiced a year, when three members of his father’s family were stricken with typhoid fever and he closed his office and devoted himself to the care of his father, mother and brother. He was with his parents for four months, and when they recovered, he closed his office in San Francisco, and was brought to San Rafael and introduced by Father Flook, of the Sacred Heart parish, arriving here on January 2, 1886.

A vacancy had been left by the death of Dr. Taliaferro, who was the pioneer physician of San Rafael, and also a county vacancy had been made by the demise of Dr. G. W. Dutton, of Tomales, who died in May, 1885.

On April 1st, 1887, Dr. Wickman was married to Miss Henrietta Dutton, daughter of Dr. G. W. Dutton of Tomales. To this union were born seven children, five daughters, Loretta, Margaret, Ruth, Gertrude and Henrietta all of whom survive him, and two sons, William J., who died twenty-two years ago at the age of fifteen months, and George, who is still under the parental roof.

Probably no citizen of San Rafael has been so honored as Dr. Wickman. Civil, fraternal, educational and religious circles have delighted to do him honor. He had for years been President of the Board of Education. He has also been president of thed Native Sons, of the San Rafael Club, of the Library Trustees, was ranking officer in the Young Men’s Institute and in the Knights of Columbus, was a Forester of America and a Woodman of the World, and was a member of the State Medical Society.

He was interested with Drs. Jones and Howitt in the Cottage Hospital, and has been identified with t he growth and development of San Rafael in innumerable ways.

The funeral was one of the most impressive that ever took place in San Rafael; the great auditorium of St. Raphael’s church was filled from vestibule to altar, and thirteen priests were in the chancel. The requiem high mass was celebrated by Rev. T. Foley assisted by Rev. J. Byrne of Napa, Rev. J. T. Egan of San Anselmo, and Rev. Francis Garvey of San Leandro; Father Byrne preached the sermon.

The choir consisted of Miss Kate Kinsella, organist, Prof. Mauloid of St. Mary’s Cathedral choir, also the soprano and alto of the same choir; and two members of St. Raphael’s choir.

The beautiful and profuse floral offerings banked the walls about the casket in his home, while a cross of orchids standing near, rose above the silent form as a sacred guardian.

Friends from all sections of the county thronged the house to see the beloved face for the last time and to speak words of sympathy and consolation to the stricken family.

On Friday, a cast was taken by a distinguished sculptor, from which a bust will be made for the city library.

While the passing of Dr. Wickman is a loss to all who knew him, the poor are most bereaved. It was those who earn their bread by the sweat of the brow who most bitterly bewailed his death. “He was so good to the poor,” was the common comment of the sons of toil, and a nobler epitaph would be hard to find.