April 4, 1922 – June 19, 2016

Donald Clarence Hicks was born on April 4th 1922 in Lewisville New Brunswick to Clarence Donald Hicks and Margaret McPherson. He died on Father’s Day, June 19th 2016 in Kamloops British Columbia. 
Growing up he excelled in sports and grew up speaking French as the only Protestant in Catholic Schools . He met Elizabeth Cunningham Dobson in school while living in Dorchester for grades 11 and 12. They enjoyed competing for top marks in the class. 
At 17 Don enrolled at Mount Alison University where he played hockey and loved it, but war broke out and many young men were signing on. 
Anxious to do his part he joined the air force in 1941 and a year later got his wings; he was 19 years old. Eventually he was posted out west. On a period of leave he went home to the maritimes and married his sweet heart Elizabeth in November of 1943, and brought her back to Tofino where he was stationed in the air force. During his flying beautiful British Columbia won his heart. 

After being lucky to survive the war Don felt it was time to get back to school, so with a strong love of the outdoors he first went into the forestry program, but eventually switching into dentistry at the University of New Brunswick. Being a great athlete he took on the job of playing professional baseball during his Fredricton years. 
After graduating from Dentistry at Dalhousie in Halifax Nova Scotia Don started a practice in the lovely south shore town of Shelburne NS and there Dan and Laura were born. 

The call of the west was strong for Don, so he packed up the family and drove across the country and made it all the way to the tumbleweed town of Kamloops in 1956 where their third child Lynda was born in 1958.
That same year, the property at Shuswap Lake came into the picture and a cabin was built there in 1960. It was the most wonderful place to be.
After a serendipitous tea party, the black and white house at 111 Clark Street in Kamloops became the perfect place to raise children and grandchildren, host parties, entertain, relax and cohabit with the well loved family dogs and cats. 

Kamloops became home, and with a satisfying dentistry career mixed with activities such as down hill and cross country skiing, golfing, water skiing, boating, duck hunting with his beloved black labs, fishing for salmon, playing a mean game of bridge, and harmonizing in sing-a-longs at Shuswap campfires and Christmas carolling, Don made many rich memories. 
He aged well and kept up his physical activities right into his 90’s. His travels (sailing, bus tour to Alaska, cruising around the Horn, flying to Newfoundland, driving across the country) were big highlights after the difficult task of selling the lake property and 111 Clark Street. 
With the ups and downs of life he swam and lived through many sad events as well as joyous ones with a brave and pioneering attitude.

He cherished his many dear friends. To support and love his grandchildren occupied much of his later years and brought him great satisfaction as well as things to worry about. 

We will miss his enthusiasm for life and his indomitable spirit. 

He leaves behind his loving wife of 73 years Elizabeth Hicks, two children Dan Hicks and Laura (Hicks) Madsen, and grandchildren: Jyelle, Hunter, & Solenn Vogel; Jay, Christian, & Keira Madsen; and nieces Anne & Maureen Curry, and great niece Andrea Kuch.

A service will be held to celebrate Don’s life at the Kamloops United Church, 421 St Paul Street at 2pm on Saturday, July 16th; reception to follow at the home of Bob & Brenda Smillie.

Condolences can be expressed at www.schoeningfuneralservice.com

• Date : 2016-06-19
• Location : Kamloops, B.C.