Mary Ellen Hicks

Mary Ellen Hicks, 91, went home to be the Lord on June 19, 2022. She was preceded in death by her husband, Dr. Paul Johnson Hicks. She graduated from Oklahoma A&M with a Home Economics degree. This is where she met and married Paul in 1951. They were united in marriage for 68 years. In his words, she was “the best thing that ever happened to me”. She was a loving wife, mother, and a grandmother who taught her children and grandchildren about the love of Jesus.

Mary Ellen was born on January 31, 1931 to Charles and Edith Thorp in Oklahoma. As a teenager she was active in 4H and documented the many recipes she prepared and the dresses that she sewed. She won several awards for her cooking and sewing skills. Her mother became bedridden while Mary was young so her father built her a stool so she could reach the sink and kitchen counters to work. When asked how she was able to prepare so many meals for her family and the farm workers after her mother’s death, she replied that it needed to be done. She did what needed to be done throughout her life to care for her family and to support her church.

As a young wife, she moved many times as Paul had an Air Force obligation for his schooling. Her four children were born in four different cities so she was quite happy when they built their house in Pasadena, the only house she would ever own. She was very involved in her children’s lives, reading Bible stories, teaching Christian principles, working with the girls in Camp Fire Girls, going on numerous camping trips. Mary Ellen loved her church family and was active in church activities including, teaching primary school children, later building up and maintaining the church library at Pasadena Southmore Church of God, and with Paul taking many of the church youth on a number of backpacking trips at Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico. She traveled to Kenya several times using her skills as a librarian to upgrade the library at Kima International School of Theology (KIST) in Kenya, East Africa so the school could become accredited. She took her grandchildren on several occasions to help catalog books for the library. In her later years, she and Paul became active in Master Gardeners.

Mary Ellen passed away at home. She is now with Jesus and her husband, Paul. Paul and Mary Ellen have 4 children, Dr. Paul Hicks, Jr., Carolyn Kiefer, Dr. Carl Hicks, and Dr. Wanda Carmichael. They have 10 grandchildren and 6 great grandchildren.

In lieu of flowers donations can be sent to: Anderson University Advancement, 1100 E. 5th Street, Anderson, IN 46012 (Memo: Dr. Paul J. and Mary Ellen Hicks ESF) or Church of God Ministries, P.O. Box 2420, Anderson, IN 46018 (Memo: KIST Student Scholarship Fund)

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.pasadenafuneralchapel.com for the Hicks family.