Joseph Edward Hicks, son of the late Roland Hicks and Trannie Mae Ingle Hicks was born on June 10, 1923 in Double Springs, Alabama and departed this life on October 3, 2015 at his residence in Advance at the age of 92.
At the age of 16 his family moved from Winston County, AL to Morehouse, MO. Shortly afterwards, Ed left to look for work in California. On the way he worked in the Kansas wheat harvest to earn money for the trip. At his mother’s request he returned to Missouri to help her and his brothers by sharecropping. During this time he met and married Margie Harris and supported his family by pursuing an independent career as an area technician through American Breeders Service. He supplemented his career with dairy farming and in 1972 he received an award from the Dairy Herd Improvement Association for the annual “High Milk Producing Herd”.
Ed was a leader in the community through church and 4-H. He was a lifelong member of the Church of Christ. He was a founding member of the Town & Country 4-H Club in Dexter, Missouri.
On November 28, 1953 he was united in marriage to Margie Harris in Sikeston. Mrs. Hicks preceded him in death on July 26, 2006.
He is survived by two sons, Gary Allen Hicks of Bloomfield and Ronald Steven Hicks of Sikeston; by two daughters, Donna Gail Moreira of Advance and Melana Jo Long of Advance; by three brothers, Bobby Hicks of Essex, Dee Wayne Hicks of Jackson and Lamar Hicks of Kansas City, Missouri; seven grandchildren and ten great-grandchildren.
Besides his wife and parents he was preceded in death by one granddaughter, Rachel Margie Long; by one great granddaughter, Alyssa Marie Long; by three brothers, Cecil Hicks, William Hicks and Billy Hicks and by four sisters, Jewell Ramsey, Lois Richards, Lorene Fulgham and Gertrude Hicks.
Friends may call at the Rainey-Mathis Funeral Home in Dexter on Tuesday, October 6, 2015 from 10:00 A.M. until 11:00 A.M.
Funeral services will then be conducted on Tuesday at 11:00 A.M. in the Rainey-Mathis Funeral Chapel with Rusty McMillon and Larry Hinman officiating.
Interment will follow in the Essex Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers the family requests donations be made to Children’s Homes, Inc., 5515 Walcott Road, Paragould, Arkansas 72450; Essex Cemetery Association, P. O. Box 9, Essex, Missouri 63846; or the Carpenter Cemetery Association, 810 Cherokee Street, Sikeston, Missouri 63801.
