The loss of Uncle Seymour

In recent weeks the City of Mount Pearl lost a great citizen, Seymour Dyke.

Uncle Seymour, as he was known to many people in Mount Pearl who were lucky enough to have known him, lived on Commonwealth Avenue for 50 years. Uncle Seymour and his family have run a construction company in Mount Pearl from the late 1950s to the present day.

For many decades, Uncle Seymour was a dedicated volunteer for Mount Pearl school boards, the Liberal party, and the Salvation Army. In the 1982 provincial election, Seymour Dyke was the Liberal candidate in Mount Pearl, and spent most of the campaign lobbying the provincial government to build a new high school in Mount Pearl that would be more centrally located and accessible for thousands of high school-aged youth.

In the early 1990s, I, along with many other politically active youth in Mount Pearl, were driven back and forth to campaign headquarters by Uncle Seymour, who was dedicated to giving young people an opportunity to get politically involved.

Uncle Seymour would also provide rides to campaign headquarters and polling stations for people with physical disabilities.

In recent years, Uncle Seymour helped fundraise for Salvation Army charities by driving door-to-door canvassers from street to street in Mount Pearl.

We all endeavour to seek a more kind and gentle society. Well, Seymour Dyke epitomized those kind and gentle principles and for over a half century as a citizen of Mount Pearl. Seymour Dyke made Mount Pearl a kinder and more gentle place.

John Ryall

Mount Pearl