Jill Hayes-Hickmann

Jill Hayes-Hickman was trustworthy and traditional in her approach to her life and in her relationships. She was tough-minded with the kind of “stick to it” attitude that earned the respect of all who knew her. She was also a woman who was meticulous, carefully disciplined, and orderly in virtually everything she undertook. Realistic about life, she was always at the ready, prepared to take on responsibility.

Jill was born on November 6, 1953 at Murphy Memorial Hospital in Whittier, CA. Her parents were Eleanor & Jay Swift. Jill was raised in Whittier, CA. She was brought up to be self-reliant and dependable. These were traits that would serve her well throughout her life.

As a young child, Jill was never someone who needed to be the center of attention. She wasn’t pushy and never forced her way into games or other activities. Jill developed a variety of interests, though, and the things she enjoyed doing she did well. She was always curious about the world around her and was often eager to explore it. Jill took part in swimming, tennis volleyball and played powderpuff football. She was also in Brownies. In her spare time she liked reading and being around any kinds of animals.

While her teachers and even her friends generally thought of Jill as being a serious person, she managed to have a pretty good time in high school as she made that critical transition from adolescence to adulthood. She graduated from California High School in 1971. She enjoyed some courses more than others, having favorite classes and teachers. Her favorite class in high school was history. Jill was involved in the Student Council during her Junior and Senior year. Jill was a very logical person who enjoyed learning about factual information. Using her exceptional memory, she was able to learn much through observation. Jill always seemed to have a command of the facts and was able to make it seem as though she could easily master any problem that might be presented to her.

College life brought with it a new set of challenges, but Jill handled them well. Being a critical thinker who always remained intellectually independent, Jill was able to focus on the task at hand in order to complete her class work. The ability to efficiently complete assignments was a skill that served Jill well during her college experience. Her favorite course was American History She earned her BA in History. Jill worked at the research library at Biola University for four years. Later in life, she pursued graduate school, earning her Masters in Special Education and Leadership.

Always considered to be a solid friend, Jill was fortunate to have numerous acquaintances and several very close friends during her life. Since she disliked making generalizations about people and preferred to draw her own conclusions based on direct observation, Jill was able to see beneath the surface of relationships and became a true friend to those who knew her. She was committed to her friends and valued the trust she placed in them. It was not uncommon for Jill to go beyond the call of duty for others, and friends frequently sought her out for advice because she had a knack for coming up with practical solutions to any type of dilemma. While growing up, two of her best friends were Christine Cory & Joanne Hughes.

On July 19, 1999 Jill exchanged wedding vows with Thomas Scott Hickmann at the Little Chapel of the West of Las Vegas, Nevada. Compassionate and devoted to Thomas, Jill held endearing, traditional values about marriage and family life. She took the responsibility of marriage to heart, giving it her total commitment. She was a source of strength to Thomas and using her gifts at nurturing one-on-one relationships, she worked hard to make her new family happy.

Jill brought the same traditional values in her marriage to bear on how she raised her children. She was a good parent to them, always firm yet fair in her dealings. She would always listen carefully and think things through before she acted, even when it was an adverse situation. Jill was also a walking schedule, always seeming to know what everyone in the family needed to do, where they needed to be and when they needed to be there. Jill was blessed with two children, Mathew and Ryan. They were also blessed with three grandchildren, Harrison, Hartlee, and Everett.

Jill greatly enjoyed what she did for a living. She was a hard worker who expected the same in return from her co-workers. She was skilled at working effectively in small groups and in one-on-one situations as well as handling solo assignments efficiently. Jill enjoyed dealing with concrete ideas and could penetrate any amount of fuzzy information to reach the essential facts. Always able to attend to the task at hand, Jill was excellent at meeting deadlines. She was an efficient worker, one who paid careful attention to detail, allowing sufficient time to complete one task before moving on to the next. Her primary occupation was a School Administrator. She was employed for Clark County School District for 17 years. Jill worked hard to be a team player, doing what was necessary in order to get the job done.

Jill liked to experience things first-hand as well as learn about them. This trait carried over into her hobbies, where she was very methodical in how she organized her activities and categorized things. Since she enjoyed her private time, Jill always tried to allocate a specific time for working on her hobbies. Her favorite pursuits were floating in the pool, cross-stitching and of course reading; Jill was an avid reader. Jill was content to enjoy her hobbies alone but was also willing to share her interests with others.

Jill found pleasure in sports. In high school, Jill played tennis, was on the swim team and the cheerleading squad. Recreational sports included tennis and aerobics. She would watch her favorite sporting events whenever she got the opportunity. Tops on her list were women’s tennis and UCLA basketball.

As a woman who always showed great commitment to the things she believed in, it’s little wonder that Jill was so active in her community. Being practical and mentally disciplined, Jill preferred to base her decisions on first-hand experiences. Jill was never afraid to roll up her sleeves and dig right in. Politically, Jill was a Democrat who would not vote party lines but for the most qualified.

Jill enjoyed traveling and taking vacations. Since she was an early starter and had a knack for planning everything, traveling with Jill appeared effortless. She was meticulous at packing. Absolutely amazing what she could fit in those suitcases. Plus, no matter where she traveled, Jill always had a back- up plan at the ready, just in case. Favorite vacations included Hawaii and Huntington Beach.

Jill was a lover of animals and cherished her pets. One of Jill’s favorites was Wilshire a Sheltie. They were best friends for 15 years. Her family was rounded out by her multiple generations of dogs; Murphy, Sparky, Harley, Reje, Chevron, Allie, Tuscany and of course Mr. Ward, the temporary permanent resident.

When Jill’s retirement finally arrived in 2015, she was ready. In retirement, she found new pleasure in babysitting and playing with her grandchildren.

After a two and a half year battle with cancer Jill passed away peacefully in her home on June 19th, 2017. She is survived by Husband Thomas, Sons Ryan and Matthew, Grandchildren Harrison, Hartlee and Everett. Services were held at Palm Mortuary on July 2, 2017. Jill’s ashes will be scattered in Hawaii and on the California coast.

She was committed to living the life of a good woman who was both practical and trustworthy. She was committed to the traditional values that she upheld her entire life. She committed herself to being a hard worker who expected the same effort in return from those around her. Most of all, she was committed to those she knew and loved.

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At the Family's Request, those how will be joining the Celebration of life for Jill to; please do not wear black.

Sandra J. Hayes-Hickmann Sandra “Jill” Hayes-Hickmann passed away peacefully in her home on Monday June 19th, 2017. She was born on November 6th, 1953 in Whittier California and relocated to Las Vegas 25 years ago. A beloved wife, mother and grandmother; Jill impacted a lot of lives. Since 1999, she worked for the Clark County School District where her passion for giving back and making a difference truly shined. She has two Masters Degrees, one in Special Education and the other in Leadership. For almost twenty years Jill served her students well as a Special Education teacher, a facilitator and most recently as Dean of Students for Canarelli Middle School. She loved her family, her 3 dogs, reading, tennis and being a grandmother. Jill is survived by her husband Thomas Hickmann, her two sons Matthew and Ryan Hayes and her three grandchildren Harrison, Hartlee and Everett. Her loving spirit and extreme kindness will be missed forever. A “Celebration of Life” will take place on Sunday July 2nd, 2017 @ 2pm at Palm Mortuary-7400 W. Cheyenne Avenue in Las Vegas. A reception will take place immediately afterwards at the same location. In lieu of flowers, donations to Shade Tree Shelter in Las Vegas in her honor would be greatly appreciated.