Emil “Bucky” Dalke was born May 24, 1958 to George and Agnes Dalke, in Invermere, B.C. He passed away peacefully in Invermere, B.C. on March 4, 2022 at the age of 63, with his family by his side.

Bucky grew up in Invermere, actually aged is a better description, as Bucky never really “grew up”. He was a kid his entire life, always had a smile, or a giggle, grin, and a shrug of his shoulders, and a laugh that will be remembered by all that heard it.

Bucky attended school in Invermere, B.C. When Bucky left high school, he worked at the mill and then at his father’s garage, Dalke’s Service in Athalmer, B.C. Bucky worked there for many years and during this time, also worked evenings as the bouncer at Bud’s Disco.

In 1986, Bucky moved to Kamloops, B.C. and worked at Kal-Tire. In Kamloops, he met the love of his life, Carole St-Amour and her daughter Nicole. In 1988, Bucky and Carole were married and in 1989, they moved back to Invermere.

One of Bucky’s proudest moments was when Nicole gave him permission to adopt her. He was very proud to call her his daughter and when she graduated from nursing school, he made sure that everyone knew it.

Bucky became a grandpa in 2003, and granddaughter Taylor, brought out a new side for Bucky. In 2006, he was blessed with a grandson, Cayden, aka “little Bucky.” He was very proud of his grandchildren and loved them deeply.

Over the years, Bucky had many passions, one of which was flying airplanes. He was known to hop in the plane, fly to Saskatchewan, visit relatives and fly home. However, his biggest passion was cars. And he owned many. His favourite was his red 1967 Mustang convertible.

When Bucky’s dad passed, Bucky took on the role of family patriarch and took over running Dalke’s Service for many years. In 1997, he leased it out and went to work for Max Helmer Construction. Bucky and Max were like an old married couple, always arguing about one thing or another. Bucky had a knack for making people smile and he delivered top notch customer service wherever he worked.

Bucky was very community minded. He was a member of the Kinsmen Club of Windermere Valley; he volunteered with the Verge for Youth and drove the bus for the Columbia Valley Rockies hockey team. In the summer seasons, Bucky enjoyed driving the shuttle bus for local wedding venues and provided the wedding guests with many chuckles along the way.

Bucky and Carole enjoyed travelling and adventured through Mexico, Cuba, Dominican Republic and Costa Rica together.

Bucky was the most kind hearted soul a person could be fortunate enough to meet. He was always willing to lend a helping hand, always had a smile on his face and a chuckle to share. You never knew where you might run into him in town or what mischief he might have been creating. He will be remembered for all his unique t-shirts and his “Mayor of Athalmer” business cards! Our valley will surely seem quieter now.

Bucky was pre-deceased by his father George Dalke. Bucky is survived by his loving wife, Carole; daughter Nicole; mother Agnes Dalke; sister Debbie Clarke; brother George Dalke; grandchildren Taylor and Cayden Schuck; brothers in law, Mike and Dan St-Amour; nephews Brent, Kirby and Clayton; niece Tina; many cousins and relatives and many friends.

A celebration of life will be held for Bucky on Saturday, May 14th, 2022 at the Horsethief Hideout at 1 pm. Everyone welcome.