Joan S. Hickey

Born during a blizzard on January 31st, 1928, in East Orange, New Jersey, a daughter of Mary Jane Brown and Anthony Sant Ambrogio, Ms. Hickey grew up in Lexington, North Carolina before moving to Washington, DC in the early 1940s.

After graduating from Dunbarton College of the Holy Cross, she married Army Lt. Edward Shelby Hickey, the son of Brigadier Gen. Thomas F. Hickey, on June 6th, 1950, in The Chapel at Fort Myer, following a long courtship. She had four children: Tom, Kevin, Joe, and Paul.

She was preceded in death by her husband Ed on November 14th, 1978 and her first son, Tom, on August 5th, 1964.

A devout Christian and lifelong feminist, Ms. Hickey had a master’s degree in pastoral counseling, and four years of graduate study in theology and pastoral studies at the Washington Theological Union. She was a founding member of the Northern Virginia Catholic Women’s Alliance in the 1970s, and later worked with the Shalem Institute for Spiritual Formation for 35 years, with 25 of those years as a member of the Associate Staff. She also served for 16 years as a member of the Adjunct Faculty for the Virginia Theological Seminary’s Continuing Education program. In addition, Ms. Hickey worked as a marriage and pastoral counselor at Saint Mary of Sorrows Catholic Church in Fairfax for many years.

In 2012, drawing on her more than 60 years of interest in mystical experiences and spirituality, Ms. Hickey authored and edited the book A Cloud of Witnesses, Personal Stories of God’s Presence in Today’s World, published by Seraphina Press in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Kirkus Reviews gave the work positive notice, describing it as “accessibly written, ecumenical and intriguing,” and “a worthwhile resource for those interested in modern mysticism.”

During an extraordinary life that spanned the time before the discovery of the dwarf planet Pluto, in our own solar system, to the present, when modern telescopes are probing the secrets of the most distant reaches of the universe, Ms. Hickey saw the best and worst of humanity through the lens of her personal faith in God. She witnessed Great Depressions and world wars, and the long and often twisting progress our species has made between the dawn of trans-Atlantic flight and the invention of television to the journeys of the interstellar Voyager spacecraft and the development of the Internet. And though the road to equality and freedom is not easy, Ms. Hickey watched with approval as our society has expanded civil rights, embraced diversity, and sought to become more fair and just for all people, a cause she always championed.

Perhaps with those ideals in mind, Ms. Hickey held fast to the idea that, “We must give with love to whoever God has placed in our path,” and “do what you can about the misery in front of you” to “add your light to the sum of all light” there is in the world.

Ms. Hickey is survived by her three sons; granddaughters Lorrie, Jenny and Rachel; grandson Thomas; and her brother, John Sant Ambrogio; as well as extended family and many, many friends.

A memorial service will be held at the main St. Mary’s Church at 5222 Sideburn Road in Fairfax, at 10 am on Friday, April 5th, with a funeral Mass to follow at 11 am. In lieu of flowers, mourners are urged to donate to their favorite charity.