Ralph Edmond Hicks

Ralph Edmond Hicks, age 72, passed away at Sentara Hospital in Woodbridge, VA on December 20, 2020. He was born on July 14, 1948 in Nora, Virginia son of the late James Roy Hicks and Ona Lambert Hicks. He spent much of his childhood in Southwestern Virginia calling Clintwood “down the country” or “down home” which simply means “home”. He is survived by his wife, Karen Hicks; his daughter, Gillian Gage; two granddaughters, Marie Hicks and Alyssa Gage; one brother, Jerry Hicks; and two sisters, Sue Cornett and Barbara Large. He is also survived by an abundance of cousins, nieces, nephews, and extended family and friends and he loved them all. He made an effort to visit family and friends as much as humanly possible even though he did not stay in one place for very long. He was always on the move, either driving or walking somewhere...when he was not taking a nap! Ralph was preceded in death by his parents and six brothers Jimmy E. Hicks, Darrel Grey Hicks, Roy Wallace “Tucker” Hicks, John Marvin Hicks, Ira Dean Hicks, and Elmer Harold “Sap” Hicks. He was also preceded in death by close nephews Jimmy Marshal Hicks and Darrel Hicks, Jr. I asked my daughters what they wanted people to know about Dad and my youngest said “He was Papa”. She said that she really wanted to say “He was the best Papa” but then realized there are other Papas in the family. When my kids asked me things about Dad such as “Why is he doing that?” or “Why won’t he let me do this by myself?” often I would just say “That’s Papa!” instead of “Ask him.” or “He’s trying to help you!”. As a family name for Grandfather “Papa”, or variations such as “Pawpaw” or “Sappaw”, will never just be words. These will always be lifetimes of stories, experiences, and lessons to generations past, current, and future. Dad had a great sense of humor, always making others smile and laugh. He walked around the neighborhood, his and mine, and talked to everyone asking them if they needed help with something or just making conversation. He made some wonderful friends that way and he knew more people in my neighborhood than I know. He always had some mints or gum or something similar that he would slide to me, even as an adult, to make me smile. He loved his girls and always wanted what was best for us. Ralph wanted to make sure the garbage workers had water and Gatorade on hot days. He made sure they were cold before the days of pickup. He also included the mail carriers when he could catch them. Many times when going to doctors offices he wanted to bring baked goods. I (Karen) always made some and had them in the freezer. The day before the appointment he would ask me what we were going to bring so we could take them out of the freezer to thaw so they did not have to wait for it to thaw before they could eat it. He would often tease them about sharing. He also enjoyed giving away the extra tomatoes, sweet potatoes, cucumbers, peppers, etc at doctor visits, and to friends and neighbors. He could not see anything go bad if there was someone who could use them. Dad loved to put a smile on kids’ little faces. Somehow he often ended up with used sports equipment that others were simply not using anymore. He gave some to friends, family members, and some to kids he did not even know. He would often bring some “down the country” and hand out a bicycle or a baseball and bat to a kid who did not have one with them at the time. As we thought and asked family members about the best way to honor dad’s memory, we found a program at Clintwood Baptist Church “down the country” where his brother, Tucker, attended for many years and served as deacon. The Edna Coe Circle program helps kids register for basketball, get backpacks for school, and supplies hats and gloves to keep them warm during winter. Even in death dad would want to be giving, never wanting to keep anything for himself, and “down the country” always had a special place in his heart. There will be a viewing at Holy Family Catholic Church on January 5, 2021 from 10am-12pm followed by a memorial mass at noon. For those who cannot attend in person the service will be streamed live. Holy Family Catholic Church 14160 Ferndale Rd Woodbridge, VA 22193 In lieu of flowers and in dad’s memory, please send any donations you would like to make to: Clintwood Baptist Church PO Box 710 Clintwood, VA 24228 On the memo of the check please write “Edna Coe Circle-Ralph Hicks”. If you prefer to donate online please go to https://sites.google.com/site/clintwoodbaptist/give-online . You must create a Tithe.ly account and search for Clintwood Baptist Church, choose the General account, and put “Edna Coe Circle-Ralph Hicks” in the note/memo.

Tributes

Ralph Edmond Hicks

December 20, 2020