Obituary of Amy Marie Hicks

The Life and Story of Amy Marie Hicks Amy departed to be with the Lord on December 28, 2017, at the age of 91. Amy was the beloved wife of George Hicks for 66 years, loving mother of Janice and husband Gerry Lippert, grandmother to Seth and wife Melody Lippert, Amy and husband BJ Martin, and great-grandmother to Lucy Lippert. Amy was born in Florenceville, New Brunswick, to Fred and Helen Perry. She was their firstborn and only daughter, followed by four brothers, Fred, John, Neville and Frank. She acted as a second mother in some instances when needed. She was loved immensely by her family and she in turn had great love for them. Her brother Fred and wife Geraldine have predeceased her. Her brother John and wife Marion reside in Guelph, Ontario. Her brothers Neville and wife Brenda, Frank and wife Sharon, all reside in New Brunswick. There are several nieces and nephews. Sisters-in-law, Ruth and husband Ern Scott, Phyllis and husband Mike Murphy from Newfoundland have all predeceased her. Sisters-in-law Mary Hicks and Elizabeth Walters reside in Grand Falls, Newfoundland. There are several nieces and nephews on the Newfoundland side. Amy was a diligent student in school and loved to study and prepare for her careers ahead. Her first choice was school teacher. This went well until she was faced with the struggles of looking after a real country school not far from her home town. Thirty-five students ranging from Grade 1 to Grade 9 and not sufficient firewood to keep the building warm in the dead of winter made her switch to a career in nursing. She was accepted into the three-year RN course and loved the experience, especially assisting in the operating room. It was in Fredericton, New Brunswick, while nursing, that Amy met George who was attending Maritime Forestry School. They met in 1950 and were married in December of 1951 in Port Arthur, Ontario (now Thunder Bay). After a move to Newfoundland, Amy had the opportunity to nurse in one of Newfoundland's 'out port' hospitals. Many times she had to deliver a baby who arrived in the middle of the night before the Doctor was able to get there. In 1954, Janice was born to George and Amy in Grand Falls, Newfoundland, where they lived for the next couple of years. After another move to northern Ontario and then to northern New Brunswick, Amy had the opportunity to pick up teaching again while Janice attended public school. The family then moved to Sussex, New Brunswick, after a number of years and Amy made a shift back to her nursing career, taking on supervisor responsibilities until she retired in 1991. Amy lived a full life and woven into it was her Christian testimony which began while attending Salvation Army meetings in the winter of 1944. She lovingly helped her aged parents and cared for their various health issues. She and George moved them into the Sussex home during the winter months for a number of years. Besides being an excellent cook, she found time to develop talents such as drawing and painting with acrylics. She was an exceptional knitter of sweaters, baby clothes, scarves, hats and mitts and also did crocheting. In 1994, George and Amy made a move to Kitchener, Ontario, to be closer to Janice, Gerry and their two children, Seth and Amy. Besides being very loving and resourceful grandparents of two lively children, they managed a trip of a lifetime to Israel and made yearly trips to the New Brunswick 'camp' and back for the next number of years. They would stay from May until October in the Maritimes enjoying family and friends but had to call an end to the story as Amy grew ill. During the early 2000s, the dreaded disease of Alzheimer's took control. In the summer of 2008, George and Amy sold their Kitchener home and moved into a New Hamburg house along with Gerry, Janice and the family. In 2012, Amy was moved to the 2nd floor of Barnswallow Place in Elmira where she was loved and gently cared for by the nursing staff until her passing. It was during her time here that both grandchildren were married: Seth to Melody Fogwell in June 2013 and Amy to BJ Martin in July 2014. Both she and George were able to attend Amy and BJ's wedding, which was a special blessing. The family thanks Barnswallow Place Care Community staff for their unswerving patience, love, and care of Amy during these final years. Much appreciation is extended to George and Amy's church family, Heidelberg Bible Fellowship for their loving care and concern. Visitation: Saturday December 30, 2017 from 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. at the Dreisinger Funeral Home Funeral Service: Sunday December 31, 2017 at 2 p.m. in the funeral home chapel In Amy's memory, donations can be made to the Alzheimer Society as expressions of sympathy.