Virginia Mary Hicks

Our beloved mother, grandmother, sister, and friend, Virginia “Ginny” Hicks, went to be with her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on Friday, December 9th, 2011. She was born in Brook Park, MN on April 9, 1927, to William “Pete” and Vera Widmyer. In the early 1940’s they moved and settled in the Lower Yakima Valley where her family farmed.

Virginia graduated from Toppenish High School where her activities included working in the library and playing volleyball. In 1948 she married the love of her life, Milo Hicks and together they raised four children in Yakima. Virginia also began her employment with Pacific Northwest Bell in 1948 as a telephone operator. She was promoted to service representative; training many companies on new telephone systems including Yakima Memorial Hospital. With a cumulative twenty-one years of service she retired in 1985, having taken time off to raise her children.

Ginny loved working in her garden and tending to her roses. She was a member of the Soroptimist Club and the Telephone Pioneers, and she especially loved giving new dictionaries to the local elementary school children. Virginia was a longtime member of West Side Baptist church and enjoyed attending woman’s bible study classes and visiting with her friends on Sunday mornings. She was a very caring and generous woman who was always thinking of others. Ginny wanted everyone to know of the good news of Jesus Christ, his saving grace, his mighty power, his peace and everlasting joy. Daily she lived the Christian life and often called her friends and family across the country to encourage them in the Lord and give them hope. Her greatest joys were visiting with her family and grandchildren and she lived a long and beautiful life.

Virginia is survived by her four children, Larry Hicks of Yakima; Mila Baris of Dallas, TX; Bill (Ann) Hicks of Yakima; and Cindy (Garey) Lantis of Panama City, FL; siblings, Grace Zecchino of Granger, Buzz Widmyer of Yakima, Ida Mae Hendrickson of Mount Vernon, Janice Merrick of Gold Beach, OR, Dennis (Kay) Widmyer, Don (Vickie) Widmyer and Candice Widmyer, all of Toppenish, and Donna (Bob) Park of Sedro Woolley; eight grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. She is preceded in death by her husband Milo in 2003, her parents and her brothers William and Peter.

A Celebration of Life will be held at West Side Church, 6901 Summitview Avenue, at 1:00 pm on Thursday, December 15, 2011. Memorials in Virginia’s memory may be made to the West Side Church, Flying H Boys Ranch, or North Star Lodge in care of Keith & Keith Funeral Home, 902 W. Yakima Ave., Yakima, WA 98902.

The Hicks family would like to extend a special thank you to the entire staff at Memorial Hospital for their care and support during Virginia’s illness.