Joseph "Ken" VanSickle

Joseph Kenneth "Ken" VanSickle, 78, of Cheyenne, Wyoming, passed away January 18, 2016. Ken was born November 20, 1937, in Newcastle, Wyoming, in a house in a small town as hospitals were few. He attended school in Newcastle and spent nine years in the Wyoming National Guard. At 10 years old, he moved with his parents to Missouri where he lived and attended school. At 12 years old, the principal came to their home and asked if it would be ok if he drove the school bus. He took the bus every morning to pick up the kids around the neighborhood for school and home again where the bus was left at his home. He did this job for 2 years until they moved back to Newcastle because his father could not stand the climate. This pretty much started his driving career. He drove for Johanson and Carbis Trucking out of Newcastle. On April 9, 1960, he married Carolyn Betty Philo at the United Methodist Church in Newcastle. To this union a son, Gary Dean, and daughter, Laurie Ann, were born. He had five grandchildren, Joseph Charles, Bryan Dean, David Allen, Jessica Marie and Cady Marie. He also had four great-grandchildren. He is preceded in death by two sisters, Betty Jean Perkins and Mary Lou Haywood; his parents, JC and Mary VanSickle; and many aunts, uncles and cousins. In 1960, he began driving for Petrolane Gas and lived in Casper for 10 years. He then transferred to Moorcroft, Wyoming, and later Petrolane sold to Quantum Chemical, then sold to Suburban, and then to PTI Trucking. He drove millions of miles in his lifetime and hauled hazardous materials such as propane, gasoline, diesel, hot oil, and solution to the coal mines. He was driving through Lusk, Wyoming, early one morning and saw a house on fire. He stopped and ran over to a woman and she said her mother and child were in the house. Ken and the woman went in through the back door of the house, rescued the child, and Ken saved an older woman who had been badly burned but lived. Officers told Ken then not many would of stopped to help. Ken replied that this is what a trucker does. For the past 8 years, he has driven for Dixon Brothers from Newcastle. Ken was stationed in Cheyenne where he has lived for the past 20 years. He enjoyed fishing for relaxation and in his younger years hunting. Ken liked the movies. He was a loner and always said he could go to the mountains and never see another human being for a year. Ken and his wife loved the outdoors and enjoyed driving through the mountains and seeing wildlife. The beauty is serene and quiet. They spent a month in Alaska and loved every minute of their trip together. Cremation is under the direction of Schrader, Aragon and Jacoby Funeral Home. He will be buried in the family plot in Greenwood Cemetery in Newcastle. "A Truckers Prayer" Oh Lord, be with me today as I head out onto the open road for I know not the dangers that this day may hold with a map by my side. Oh Lord, let it be You that is my daily guide and as I head out to where the yellow line never ends. It sure is good to know that You will be riding with me once again. Oh Lord, when I have taken my last load there will be one final trip I must take, one that will be on a road that is paved with gold and there I will rest for there will be no more trips to take once I have entered Heaven's Gate. - Anonymous