NORWICH – Michael L. “Mike” Hicks, 58, of Norwich, passed away Thursday morning, Feb. 14, 2008 at his home.
Born in Norwich in Nov. of 1949, Mike was the son of Delos Hicks and Norma Franklin. He grew up in Oxford where he attended the local schools and excelled in high school wrestling, winning the Clyde Cole Tournament in both his junior and senior years, 1966 and 1967. Following his graduation in 1967, he attended Alfred University. Mike worked for a short time for the Raymond Corporation of Greene before becoming his own boss as a self-employed carpenter and contractor whose projects included the building of the pavilion at Oxford’s Boname Park. He was the kind of fellow who would give you the shirt off his back, and, despite a small stubborn streak, was good natured and genuinely selfless. Mike was a member of the Oxford Lions Club, and had taken an interest in local archaeology, having participated in many “digs.”
On July 6, 2007, in Norwich, Mike married Amy Bonavita. He is survived by his wife, Amy Hicks of Norwich; his daughters: Heidi Willcox and husband Shane of Norwich, Hillary Hicks of Oxford, and Heather Pimm of Rochester; two step-children; his granddaughter, Shayna Willcox; and five other grandchildren. He is also survived by his sisters and their husbands: Kathy and William Irwin of Ilion, LouAnne and Vince Bowling of Greensboro, N.C., Pam and Bob Cox of Oxford, Robin and Tom Wright of Oxford, Penne and John Wolf of Norwich; by his brothers and their wives, Robert and Jodi Fitch of Oxford and Scott and Jennifer Fitch of Sherburne; by his half-brother and half-sister, Kevin Hicks and Joanne Bartle, both of Oxford; step-sister and step-brother, Debbie Post and husband Jeff of Florida and Robert Fitch and wife Louise of Albany; by numerous aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, and cousins, and his special friend, Claire Osgood of Oxford. Mike was predeceased by his parents, Delos Hicks and Norma Franklin Fitch; his step-father, Bob Fitch; and brothers Darrell and Gerald Hicks.
A gathering to celebrate Mike’s life, led by his sisters Robin Wright and LouAnne Bowling, and his brother Robert Fitch, will be held at 2 p.m. on Sunday from the R.J. Fahy Funeral Home.
Friends are invited to call at the R.J. Fahy Funeral Home on Sunday from 11 a.m. until the service at 2 p.m.
Please consider memorial contributions to Hospice and Palliative Care of Chenango County, 21 Hayes St., Norwich, NY 13815.