John Merritt Hickman, 88, died on August 9, 2017 in Phoenix, Arizona. Graveside Service will be held Saturday, September 16, at 2:00pm at Englewood Cemetery, Clinton, Missouri. Fond memories and condolences can be left at www.vansant-millfuneralhome.com.
Growing up during the Great Depression in a family for which the settling of the frontier was still part of living memory made him disciplined, responsible, resilient and risk acceptant to a degree that is rare today. Born on July 6, 1929 in Clinton, Missouri, the son of Elmer Lawrence and Lucetta Brown Gregory Hickman, he was an exemplary husband, father, grandfather, soldier and citizen.
He was preceded in death by his first wife, Mary Margaret Long Hickman, to whom he was married from 1951 until her death in 1986, and by his second wife, Kim Hickman, to whom he was married from 1986 until her death in 2012. Three siblings also preceded him in death: Robert Hickman, James Hickman, and Elizabeth Hunt.
John is loved and will be missed by his son John Charles Hickman; his daughter Karen and her husband Mike Hoff; granddaughter Renee Hickman; grandsons Jayden and James Hoff; and brother Richard Hickman.
John served proudly in the United States Army from 1949 to 1971, retiring as a Sergeant Major. In addition to a combat tour in Vietnam, he was stationed in Langon, France, Würzburg, Germany, El Paso, Texas, Oxford, Mississippi, and Masawa, Eritrea.
A world traveler with a special fondness for Spain and Korea, John also delighted in the beauty of the American West. Given to praising the accomplishments of his children and grandchildren, enthusing about the wildlife and history of Arizona, quoting the poetry of Rudyard Kipling and referencing the 1948 film The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, he is remembered for his faith, generosity, and kindness, and for inspired story-telling that bridged continents and generations.
Growing up during the Great Depression in a family for which the settling of the frontier was still part of living memory made him disciplined, responsible, resilient and risk acceptant to a degree that is rare today. Born on July 6, 1929 in Clinton, Missouri, the son of Elmer Lawrence and Lucetta Brown Gregory Hickman, he was an exemplary husband, father, grandfather, soldier and citizen.
He was preceded in death by his first wife, Mary Margaret Long Hickman, to whom he was married from 1951 until her death in 1986, and by his second wife, Kim Hickman, to whom he was married from 1986 until her death in 2012. Three siblings also preceded him in death: Robert Hickman, James Hickman, and Elizabeth Hunt.
John is loved and will be missed by his son John Charles Hickman; his daughter Karen and her husband Mike Hoff; granddaughter Renee Hickman; grandsons Jayden and James Hoff; and brother Richard Hickman.
John served proudly in the United States Army from 1949 to 1971, retiring as a Sergeant Major. In addition to a combat tour in Vietnam, he was stationed in Langon, France, Würzburg, Germany, El Paso, Texas, Oxford, Mississippi, and Masawa, Eritrea.
A world traveler with a special fondness for Spain and Korea, John also delighted in the beauty of the American West. Given to praising the accomplishments of his children and grandchildren, enthusing about the wildlife and history of Arizona, quoting the poetry of Rudyard Kipling and referencing the 1948 film The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, he is remembered for his faith, generosity, and kindness, and for inspired story-telling that bridged continents and generations.
John Merritt Hickman, 88, died on August 9, 2017 in Phoenix, Arizona. Graveside Service will be held Saturday, September 16, at 2:00pm at Englewood Cemetery, Clinton, Missouri. Fond memories and condolences can be left at www.vansant-millfuneralhome.com.
Growing up during the Great Depression in a family for which the settling of the frontier was still part of living memory made him disciplined, responsible, resilient and risk acceptant to a degree that is rare today. Born on July 6, 1929 in Clinton, Missouri, the son of Elmer Lawrence and Lucetta Brown Gregory Hickman, he was an exemplary husband, father, grandfather, soldier and citizen.
He was preceded in death by his first wife, Mary Margaret Long Hickman, to whom he was married from 1951 until her death in 1986, and by his second wife, Kim Hickman, to whom he was married from 1986 until her death in 2012. Three siblings also preceded him in death: Robert Hickman, James Hickman, and Elizabeth Hunt.
John is loved and will be missed by his son John Charles Hickman; his daughter Karen and her husband Mike Hoff; granddaughter Renee Hickman; grandsons Jayden and James Hoff; and brother Richard Hickman.
John served proudly in the United States Army from 1949 to 1971, retiring as a Sergeant Major. In addition to a combat tour in Vietnam, he was stationed in Langon, France, Würzburg, Germany, El Paso, Texas, Oxford, Mississippi, and Masawa, Eritrea.
A world traveler with a special fondness for Spain and Korea, John also delighted in the beauty of the American West. Given to praising the accomplishments of his children and grandchildren, enthusing about the wildlife and history of Arizona, quoting the poetry of Rudyard Kipling and referencing the 1948 film The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, he is remembered for his faith, generosity, and kindness, and for inspired story-telling that bridged continents and generations.
Growing up during the Great Depression in a family for which the settling of the frontier was still part of living memory made him disciplined, responsible, resilient and risk acceptant to a degree that is rare today. Born on July 6, 1929 in Clinton, Missouri, the son of Elmer Lawrence and Lucetta Brown Gregory Hickman, he was an exemplary husband, father, grandfather, soldier and citizen.
He was preceded in death by his first wife, Mary Margaret Long Hickman, to whom he was married from 1951 until her death in 1986, and by his second wife, Kim Hickman, to whom he was married from 1986 until her death in 2012. Three siblings also preceded him in death: Robert Hickman, James Hickman, and Elizabeth Hunt.
John is loved and will be missed by his son John Charles Hickman; his daughter Karen and her husband Mike Hoff; granddaughter Renee Hickman; grandsons Jayden and James Hoff; and brother Richard Hickman.
John served proudly in the United States Army from 1949 to 1971, retiring as a Sergeant Major. In addition to a combat tour in Vietnam, he was stationed in Langon, France, Würzburg, Germany, El Paso, Texas, Oxford, Mississippi, and Masawa, Eritrea.
A world traveler with a special fondness for Spain and Korea, John also delighted in the beauty of the American West. Given to praising the accomplishments of his children and grandchildren, enthusing about the wildlife and history of Arizona, quoting the poetry of Rudyard Kipling and referencing the 1948 film The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, he is remembered for his faith, generosity, and kindness, and for inspired story-telling that bridged continents and generations.
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