Mary Bliss Yancey Hicky

Mary Bliss Yancey Hicky died March 14, 2016, at the age of 92. Mrs. Hicky was born December 5, 1923 in Luxora, Ark., to William Bliss Yancey and Elta Spann Yancey. She started school in Brickeys and Hughes, Ark. From the fifth through the 10th grades, she attended St. Mary's Episcopal School in Memphis as a boarding student, then graduated from Marianna (AR) High School. As a young girl she loved horses and, along with her father, showed horses throughout the Mid South. They were proud owners of many Tennessee Walking Horses, including the champion, Queen Mary Girl. She furthered her education at Fairmont Junior College in Washington, DC and at The Casements in Ormond Beach, Fla. She was in DC when Pearl Harbor was bombed and was in the Senate Gallery when President Roosevelt declared war on Japan. On July 10, 1945 she wed Jerry Preston Hicky of Forrest City, Ark. and they were married for 58 years until Mr. Hicky's death in 2003. They lived in Marianna until 1999 when their home, Glad Acres, was destroyed by fire. They rebuilt in Forrest City on property owned by the Hicky family. Glad Acres is where the Hickys raised their two sons and was the scene for many social, church and athletic events, family reunions and other special gatherings. The house was well known for its lavish Christmas decorations. One of Mrs. Hicky's favorite pastimes was canning vegetables and making pickles grown in their gardens and peach orchards. Her devotion and love of family were the true passions of her long life. Mrs. Hicky was an active Episcopalian all of her life and enjoyed church activities wherever she was living. She served many years on altar guilds and she was a charter member of The Junior Auxiliary in Marianna. In later years, the Hickys enjoyed traveling, especially to the Florida Keys and to the mountains of North Carolina. After her husband's death, Mrs. Hicky enjoyed retirement living in both Hot Springs and Conway, Ark., and spent her last years in Memphis. Another of her favorite pastimes was making Christmas scrapbooks from old Christmas cards and photographs for young family members and friends. Mrs. Hicky was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, and her oldest son, Preston Gray Hicky. She is survived by her son, Bliss Yancey Hicky (Jan) of Memphis, grandchildren, Christopher Gray Hicky (Haley) of Los Angeles, Calif., Jennifer Hicky Collins of Forrest City, Mary Elizabeth Maynard (Fletcher) of Durham, N.C., William Bliss Hicky of Nashville, Tenn., and Laura Yancey Kraus (Zack) of Forrest City, great-grandchildren Hayes and Wyatt Hicky of Los Angeles, Molly, Avery and Peyton Collins of Forrest City, and Bliss and Mims Maynard of Durham, plus numerous nieces, nephews and cousins. Special thanks go to the staffs of Trezevant Terrace and Methodist Hospice Residence in Memphis, and especially for the love and support of her personal caretakers. Funeral services for Mrs. Hicky will be at 11 a.m. on March 16 at St. Andrew's Episcopal Church in Marianna. Burial will follow at Marianna Memorial Park, under the direction of Stevens Funeral Home of Forrest City. The family requests memorials be made to Lee County Community Foundation, 130 Robertson, Marianna, Ark. 72360 or St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, 262 Danny Thomas Place, Memphis, Tenn. 38105 or St. Andrew's Episcopal Church, 49 S. Carolina Street, Marianna, Ark. 72360. Visit online registry at stevensfuneralhome.net. Active and honorary pallbearers include the young men of the Hicky family – ChrisHicky, William Hicky, Fletcher Maynard, Zack Kraus, Hank Collins, Philip Hicky, Robert Fogelman, James Macdonald, Grant Macdonald, Sam Huttenbauer and Greg Hyde.