Basil Eugene Dikovsky departed from his earthly journey on June 8, 2018 at the hospice unit of the West Haven VA Hospital under the devoted care of the nursing staff there.
Born March 31, 1927 in Praque, Czechoslovakia, the son of Nadezda {Vopichkova} & Eugene Vasily Dikovsky, Basil immigrated to the U.S. three years later with his parents.
In 1933, his family began the Dikovsky Poultry Farm in Shelton where he spent his entire life raising chickens and selling eggs throughout the area to many small stores.
As a child, he spent countless hours playing with his sister Nina, the many farm animals, doing farm chores & roaming the woodlands.
He worked tirelessly alongside his parents to create a successful farm & continued with it until very recent years.
The “Chicken” sign on Buddington Road became a landmark fondly remembered by many.
After graduating from Shelton High School, he served in the U.S. Navy & then attended Storrs campus of UConn receiving a BS in agriculture.
He loved life on the farm and especially loved tending the orchard & large garden which provided food for the family & additional farm income.
Basil was an expert Bosai artisan & all around gardener. His yard in later years resembled a beautiful naturally designed small arboretum.
Throughout his life being in the outdoors was his passion, hiking in the surrounding woods usually looking for mushrooms and fishing & boating on both fresh & salt water.
He especially loved these outings accompanied by his children and/or grandkids.
His grandson, Bob Bombardier, was his frequent companion during Bob’s early years spending much time with “Gramps” on the farm & water. Sixteen years later his other seven grandchildren started arriving. He loved when he spent time with them, especially if it involved fishing.
As recently as early winter he was still getting out, utilizing his John Deere yard tractor as a mobility scooter. Nothing could keep him down. Basil believed in staying as active as possible & refused to just sit in a chair. That was not life for him.
Back in the 1950s prior to most being aware about such things he was studying up on the importance of supplements and natural remedies and utilized them throughout his lifetime.
In later years he developed a love of dancing & became a fairly accomplished ball room dancer. Basil was a very active 70 plus-years life member of grange, first for many years with Farmill River Grange & then after that dissolved was a very active member of Harmony Grange #92 in Monroe.
He was also a member of American Legion John H. Collins Post #24 in Derby.
Basil loved the woodlands on his farm & donated a small parcel to the City of Shelton that they needed for completion of a trail. In more recent years he sold much of the remainder of the farm to the city for conservation retaining life use.
The unnamed brook running along the back of the property was officially named Basil Brook by the city in 2011.
In recent years, it was harder for him to maintain the property & he was able to remain there until shortly before crossing over due to the devoted efforts of his son, Rickie Mazzadra, tending to things.
Basil is survived by his second wife, Nancy Dikovsky, his children from a previous marriage: Laura Dikovsky Smith {Ed} of Willsboro, NY, Hope Vitko {Larry Jr}. of Prospect, Rickie Mazzadra of Shelton & Richard Chuma {Kristen} of Shelton.
Also his sister Nina Shevzov of Shelton and grandchildren Larry III {Ronnie} & Ben Vitko, Jimmy, Lia & Joey Mazzadra and Erin & Dan Chuma.
He is also survived by step-daughters Karen Helmer Whiteley {Patrick} & her children, Louis DePiro & Sage Edwards & Melissa Helmer and several neices & nephews.
Basil was preceded into the afterlife by his devoted grandson who he described as being more like a son, Bob Bombardier, in March of this year after Bob was struck by a drunk driver.
Calling hours will be Monday (June 11) 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Riverview Funeral Home, 390 River Road in Shelton.
A funeral will be held at 11 a.m. on Tuesday (June 12) followed by burial with military honors at Riverside Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers donations can be made to the nature preserve being developed on his departed grandson’s property in Vermont in keeping with the family tradition of land conservation: The Bob Bombardier Nature Preserve & Nature Center in c/o Laura Smith, PO /Box 1388, Morrisville, VT 05661.
