WILLIAM ARTHUR HICKS SR.
William "Mr. Bill" Arthur Hicks Sr., 76, of Sumter, passed away on Wednesday, July 31, 2019, at his home, surrounded by family and friends.
He was born on Dec. 10, 1942, in West Frankfort, Illinois, to Vivian and Ardell Hicks. Bill had an exemplary career in the U.S. Air Force that spanned five decades (1959-1990), retiring as a chief master sergeant. He was a transportation expert, from mechanic to logistics. He applied his extensive transportation skills culminating in a position on the IG inspection team and as the senior enlisted advisor (command chief) and government contract positions, after his retirement from active duty. Bill was a Vietnam veteran, something he spoke little about. He was known by many as the man who could fix anything mechanical and repaired anything from neighbor's vehicles and small engines to the neighborhood kid's bicycles, toys and helping build school projects, often the night before they were due, as kids will be kids. If Bill couldn't fix it, it wasn't broke. Bill was a longtime member of the Masonic Lodge.
When Bill wasn't busy with handyman projects, two of his greatest passions in life were hunting and fishing. In later years, he gave up hunting, becoming a full-time fisherman. He was forever the optimist that the next fishing trip would be the best ever. In younger days, he fished for bass, but slowly became what I believe to be one of the greatest crappie fishermen on Santee Cooper. Bill knew where the crappie were most of the year, switching to shellcracker and bream when they slowed down.
Bill married Sandra Gail, the love of his life, on July 20, 1961.
Bill is also survived by sons, Bill Jr. and Wesley Ardell and his wife, Kathie, and daughter Lenora C. Clemens and her husband, Richard; grandsons, Justin Dean, Travis John and his wife, Afton, William Alexander and Charles Morgan; and great-grandsons, William Michael and Landon Parker.
The only thing that brought him greater pleasure than the great outdoors was the presence of family. Bill and Sandra were married for 58 years this July and had traveled the world together while raising their three children. Love is the strongest glue, and these two were permanently bonded as the bedrock foundation for the family.
A graveside service will be held at 4:30 p.m. Sunday at Evergreen Memorial Park cemetery with full military honors.
The family will receive friends one hour prior to the service from 3 to 4 p.m. Sunday at Bullock Funeral Home.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Shriners Hospital for Children of Greenville, 950 Faris Road, Greenville, SC 29605.
You may go to www.bullockfuneralhome.com and sign the family's guest book.
The family has chosen Bullock Funeral Home for the arrangements.