Tuesday, July 29, 2025

Hicks Ancestors - Generation 4 - Lowell Vernon Hicks

  Lowell Vernon Hicks was born 03 June 1930, Judsonia, White County, Arkansas

PHOTO: Annie Hicks and Lowell Vernon Hicks

Lowell was the youngest child of Ulysses and Annie Arnold Hicks
PHOTO: Back - Cleffie, Irene, Elvin, Jack and Ruby. Front - Vernell, Ulys holding Oma Dell and Bernice, Olan, Annie holding Lowell, Evalee.




Lowell served in the U.S. Navy 
PHOTO: Lowell is top row center

Lowell Hicks married Elaine Bernadette Roussos December 1949 in Boston, Suffolk County, Massachusetts



Lowell and Elaine had five children - Russ, Evan, Ernie, Jamie, and Mayrose


* * *

Lowell died 15 October 2018, Berrien County, Michigan.

Elaine died 03 April 2015 in Berrien County, Michigan.


They are buried in Hickory Bluff Cemetery, Stevensville, Berrien County, Michigan

Ernie Hicks died 15 November 2018 in Joliet, Will County, Illinois


Monday, July 28, 2025

Hicks Ancestors - Generation 4 - Bertha Bernice Hicks

 Bertha Bernice Hicks was born 02 February 1929, Judsonia, White County, Arkansas


Family lore has it that her full name was intended to be Odell Avanell Bertha Bernice. (You'd think Grandma Hicks would have been running out of names by this time, but you'd be wrong.) Family lore also has it that Grandma solicited baby name suggestions from everybody she knew. I wonder if that's where I got my fascination with names?

Bernice was the 6th daughter of Annie and Ulysses Hicks
The Hicks girls, in order of birth - Ruby, Irene, Cleffie, Evalee, Vernell, Bernice


Bernice Hicks married Jay Bridges 10 February 1945 in Benton Harbor, Berrien County, Michigan

Jay and Bernice had three children: Shelby, Gregory (died at birth), and Cindy.




PHOTO: Cindy and Shelby Bridges

PHOTO: Shelby and Cindy


PHOTO: Bernice, Shelby, Cindy

PHOTO: Cindy and her husband Dale, Shelby and his wife Beverly 

* * *

Bernice married Jim Snelling November 1968.

Bernice married Bill Rogers 11 July 1970.

They were married 32 years, until his death in 2003.

Bernice Hicks married Dean Kittleson 04 June 2005 
I don't have a picture of Dean.



* * *

Bernice died 15 May 2016 in St. Joseph, Berrien County, Michigan

 Jay Bridges died 15 March 2012 in California. 


Sunday, July 27, 2025

Hicks Ancestors - Generation 4 - Ulysses Olan Hicks

 

Ulysses Olan Hicks was born 03 November 1927, in Judsonia, White County, Arkansas. 

 

Olan was the 8th child of Ulysses and Annie Arnold Hicks


Olan Hicks married Barbara Jean Smith 28 August 1945 in Lake City, Arkansas

 

 

Olan and Barbara had three children - Jeannie, Clint, and Chuck

 

 

* * *

Olan died 03 June 2019, age 91

 

OBIT:

Evangelist, author, musician and teacher Olan Hicks, 91, passed from this life on Monday morning June 3. Mr. Hicks was born on Nov. 3, 1927, to U.F. and Annie Hicks of Judsonia, Ark.

He was the third youngest of nine children. All of his siblings are deceased. Mr. Hicks, a veteran of the U.S. Army, was stationed in Italy as World War II came to its end. He married Barbara Jean Smith on Aug. 28, 1945, and they worked together for 73 years as an evangelistic team, seeking to teach God's truths of hope, forgiveness and love through the words of the Bible.

He was the father of three children, Jeanne (Marcus) Barnett, Clint (Janice) Hicks and Chuck (Melinda) Hicks. He was grandfather to seven grandchildren, Dawnmarie (Charlie) Oyler, Marla (Eric) Suggs, Aimee (Joe) Burch, Matthew (Sara) Hicks, Carrie (Eric) Bishop, Chad (Jill) Hicks, Molly (Blake) Campbell, and a large number of great-grandchildren, nephews, nieces, etc.

The funeral service for Mr. Hicks will be held on Thursday morning, June 6, with visitation at 10 a.m. followed by the service at 11 a.m. at Roller-Daniel Funeral home in Searcy, Ark. He will be interred at the White County Memorial Gardens.

* * *

Barbara Hicks died 18 January 2020, age 89

They are buried in  White County Memorial Gardens, Searcy, White County, Arkansas


Hicks Ancestors - Generation 4 - Sylvia Vernell Hicks

 Sylvia Vernell Hicks was born 30 October 1925, Judsonia, White County, Arkansas.


Vernell was the 7th child of Ulysses and Annie Arnold Hicks

Cleffie, Evalee, Irene holding Vernell



Vernell, Elvin, Evalee, Cleffie

Olan, Lowell, Vernell

Ruby, Irene, Cleffie, Evalee, Vernell, Bernice

Vernell and Cleffie

Vernell Hicks married Ray Leatherwood 25 November 1945 in Benton Harbor, Berrien County, Michigan.


PHOTO: Bernice and Jay, Vernell and Ray
(Bernice is Vernell's sister)




Ray and Vernell had three children - Carl Ray, Velda, and Mary Gail
(Sorry, Carl and Mary -- you'll always be Carl-Ray and Mary-Gail to me)



(This is how I remember them.)

* * *

Vernell died 09 July 2007, in Rohnert Park, Sonoma County, California.

Ray Leatherwood died April 2016.