Ginger Mitchell Hicks

Ginger Dean Mitchell Hicks entered this world on Tuesday, Feb 5, 1935 in a small house in Selmer, TN & left us on Friday, March 27, 2026 in her home, having just celebrated her 91st birthday. Along with her sister June, they blazed a trail in the woods & waters of McNairy county & Millington. Her parents, Howard & Lavayer Cox Mitchell, moved their growing family to Frayser in 1952, and Mom hit her stride at the new Frayser High School, & was the very first Miss Frayser (as a junior!). She played sports, was a cheerleader, & general mischief-maker with her many friends & cohorts. She met Ronnie Hicks while ‘hanging out’, & it was love at first sight. She worked briefly after graduating high school in 1954, & she loved it. She claims she was a terrible typist, but boy did she thrive in the social arena! After Dad returned from his Marine stint, they married in June of 1956 & remained devoted to each other for 63 years until his death in October, 2019. They had five children together: Michael L. (Kathryn), Roni Lynn (Larry), Katherine A., David M. (Karen), & Rodney. After wrestling five children growing up in Frayser back in the day, which was a blast by the way, she ultimately became “MaMaw” to her eight grandchildren & eight great-grandchildren: Kasey, Cody, Andy, Alex (Brittany), Taylor, Neely, Kellie, & Shannon (Taylor). Then greats: Brody, Norah, Hayes, Grant, Benny, Gracie, Elowyn & Rae. In addition, she had 5 step grands that she was always very fond of, Troy, Ally, Kyle, Kevin, & Eric. Her adored sisters (us girls!) were June (Joe), Carolyn (Jim) & Linda (Larry) as well as many beloved nieces & nephews.

Ginger was always playing some type of sport, & believed fresh air & activity were the keys to a healthy & fun life. From softball, tennis, corn hole, participating in several different events in Sr. Olympics for many years, skiing (no lesson first!) in Breckenridge, biking down the Haleakala in Maui, to her last love, pickleball, she made lifelong friends & was so inspirational in getting others to join in! She’d mention quitting while she was still ahead, but would be met with “No! You can’t quit! We all want to be like you!”. It was a great sport for her, even with a torn rotator cuff, & she kept ‘showing up’, which was important to her. She missed Dad terribly when he passed, but she believed she still had a lot of life to live & boy did she! Her pickleball friends, neighbors, church friends, long-time friends, her kids’ grown friends…she was surrounded by people that loved her.

Her greatest loves were her family, faith & gardening. She was the best MaMaw ever, always had time for them & helped create loving & fun memories for them. They knew MawMaw was ‘cool’, & they adored her. Her years at Bellevue Baptist Church were so happy & uplifting, and she loved her Sunday school class & they sure loved her. She & Dad travelled the country on road trips, went on an Alaskan cruise, too many trips to mention, & took girl-trips with her sisters that were hilarious! She was always stylish, youthful & sassy her entire life & she lit up the room with her warmth, beauty & humor. Living on the water & walk path in Bartlett provided a constant flow of friends, neighbors & strangers that became accustomed to her working in her beautiful yard & always had time for a wave or chat. I’m sure they’ll all miss her as such a fixture of her neighborhood. She and Dad bought their house new, but as was their way, it blossomed with trees & flowers, birds & bees, especially the birds & provided them years of joy witnessing the simplicity of nature in their own backyard. She always said she believed the key to longevity was movement….don’t sit idly by while there’s always something to do. Be a good listener, be a good friend, spouse, sister, mother, grand, & great-grand, be good to people, get some exercise & count your blessings, of which she knew she had many in her wonderful & charmed life. She experienced life’s tragedies with dignity & putting ‘one foot in front of the other’. This last year of her life allowed her to hear all the kind & wonderful things people wanted to express to her, what she meant to them, & she was always surprised & humbled by their comments. She was always sincere & ready for a laugh, with a dash of spice thrown in, & people were drawn to her. We hope she entered heaven to her favorite song that reminded her of Dad, Unchained Melody, and that she’ll be our guardian angel forever. We will miss her terribly, but what a life she lived!

She greatly loved flowers, but please consider donating to the Kosten Pancreatic Foundation (https://www.kostenfoundation.com) or St. Jude Children’s Hospital in her name.

Services will be the following:

Visitation: Fri, April 10, Memphis Funeral Home, 3700 N. Germantown, Bartlett, TN 38133 from 5-8p.Funeral service will be held, Sat, April 11, 11a, Bellevue Baptist Church - Pollard Chapel 2000 Appling Road, Cordova, TN 38016.Burial afterwards at Memory Gardens, 6444 Raleigh-Lagrange Rd. Memphis, TN