Robert Martin Hicks

Robert M. Hicks, 88, of Hendersonville, NC, died Wednesday afternoon, September 30, 2009, at the Elizabeth House in Flat Rock.

Born December 18, 1920 in Allegan, MI, he was the son of the late Martin and Iva Hicks. He was preceded in death by his son, Stephen Lee Hicks.

A veteran of World War II, he served in the US Navy from December 1941 until February 1946 in the North Atlantic and South Pacific.

He attended Western Michigan College in Kalamazoo and earned his Electrical Engineering degree from Marquette University in Milwaukee, WI. He started out as a country school teacher for eight grades in a one room schoolhouse in Michigan. He later became an electrical engineer for Wisconsin Electrical Power Company, then for American Electrical Power in Indiana, where he retired.

He was an active member and served as an elder at North Christian Church in Ft. Wayne, IN, and later served as elder at the Reformation Presbyterian Church in Hendersonville. At his death, he was a member of the First Baptist Church of Hendersonville. He had served as a volunteer at the Hendersonville Rescue Mission for eight years.

He is survived by his loving wife of 61 years, Maxine Hicks of Hendersonville; two grandsons, Jeffery Hicks and his wife, Nikki, of Windermere, FL, and Martin Hicks of Hawaii; and a great-grandson, Carter Hicks.

A memorial service will be held at 2 PM Sunday, October 4, 2009 in the chapel of First Baptist Church of Hendersonville. The Reverend Wally Shamburger will officiate. The family will receive friends from 1:30 ñ 2 PM at the church.

Memorials may be made to Four Seasons Compassion for Life, 571 S. Allen Road, Flat Rock, NC 28731.