Robert Heston Hicks of Tampa passed away October 22, 2020 with his wife at his side. He was born in Philadelphia August 12, 1932 to Harry Heston and Mary Mayer Hicks. He attended Sarasota High School and graduated from Florida State University where he met his wife, Mary. He founded Hicks Advertising Group and served as president of the Tampa Ad Federation. Bob won the 1974 and 1978 gold medals in the U.S. Senior Olympics in the rope climb and still rings. He attended FSU on a gymnastic scholarship and was team captain when FSU placed first in the NCAA and AAU. He set the state AAU record in the rope climb at 3.9 seconds. He served in the U.S. Air Force in Korea. "I never heard him utter an unfriendly or cross word. Decency and decorum were his calling cards always and it is sad to reflect that such a kindly man is lost to us," wrote friend and neighbor Jim Carlstedt.
Bob is survived by his college sweetheart and love of his life, Mary; his brother, Richard (Jane); sons, Raymond (Catherine) and Jeff (Brenda); daughters, Dee Dee (Rich) and Lauren; grandchildren, Josh (Ann-drea), Abbey (Chris), T.R. and Kendall Bopp, Maria and Isabella Larcomb, and Mary Amelia Hicks; great-grand-children, Ella Dohring, Brooks, Davis and Truett Ahern; and extended family.
A mass to celebrate Bob's life will be held Tuesday, October 27 at 10 am at St. Paul's Catholic Church. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in his name to the Humane Society of Tampa Bay.
