Paul Andrew Hickey

Paul Andrew Hickey, “Hat” as he was adoringly called by his grandchildren, was an amazing husband, dad, grandfather, uncle, colleague and friend, who will be remembered as one of the great joy-givers, making countless people laugh throughout his life.

Paul’s story began on February 22, 1929, during a blizzard at his home in rural Kentucky when his grateful mother named him after the doctor who braved the severe weather to deliver him. Born the youngest of seven children to Anna and John Hickey in Montgomery County, he spent his youth milking cows, helping with the horses and doing any other chores needed on his family’s tobacco farm.

After graduating as valedictorian from St. Agatha Academy in Winchester, KY, he received scholarships to Villa Madonna College and Kentucky Wesleyan College. He went to both of those schools for one year each. He took time off to teach in a one-room schoolhouse in Fergus County, Montana, near where his relatives had homesteaded and two siblings moved to begin their families. This started his lifelong love of visiting his relatives in Montana. Paul then transferred to the University of Kentucky and received his B.A.

In 1953, Paul was commissioned as an officer in the U.S. Navy and was assigned to the USS Holder, a 2,200-ton destroyer attached to the Destroyer Force, U.S. Atlantic Fleet. He served three years aboard this vessel, traveling extensively to ports around the world. Years later, he attended Holder reunions and stayed in touch with many of his shipmates.

Paul was then hired by IBM and enjoyed success in a variety of management positions over several decades. It was during his early days selling the Selectric typewriters to local schools and businesses in Reading, PA, when he met his future wife at a social event. Judy Purcell was a vivacious Rosemont College student and Paul knew pretty early on that she was a keeper, if she’d have him. Judy loved his sense of adventure, along with his sense of humor, and happily agreed to marry him about a year after they met.

They moved with IBM to Lexington, KY, and then Paul worked for a year with IBM in New York City, where he was on the development team for the copy machine, a revolutionary product at the time. In July 1970, he transferred to a fairly new IBM site in Austin, Texas. It is here that the family settled and raised their children in Northwest Hills.

Paul retired from IBM, and after a brief stint serving as a volunteer at Yellowstone National Park, he realized he was ready for a new chapter in his professional life. He joined The Open Group and moved with Judy to Hong Kong for two years to work as the Regional Director of Pacific Operations. After returning to their home in Austin, they continued to travel internationally for The Open Group.

To those lucky enough to have known Paul and Judy – or “Mimi & Hat” – they’d say they had a special love, based simply on how much they enjoyed each other’s company. They sipped many glasses of wine together on their back porch, often with friends and family, and Paul’s jokes kept Judy laughing, even after she had heard some of them many times before. They just celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary on June 24th.

No matter where he was, people loved to talk to Paul. He had a keen mind and could easily quote Shakespeare one moment and then find errors in a legal document the next. He never shied away from discussions with those he disagreed with. He was an avid reader and the newest spy novel or non-fiction best seller was always an appreciated Christmas gift. Bargaining for anything from a car to a candy bar gave him great pleasure and many unbelievable deals were made over the years.

Paul had a heart of gold and tried to treat everyone the same. He had a soft spot for those less fortunate than he was and spent a lifetime doing volunteer work. In the early 1960s, he worked with the civil rights movement in Lexington, where he was a member of the Kentucky Governor’s Commission on Hard-Core Unemployment. In Austin, he’d wake up before dawn and drive to St. Theresa Catholic Church to make breakfast tacos for the homeless. He also served as a Eucharistic Minister.

He was at his happiest at the annual Hickey Family Thanksgivings, when his large clan came in from all over the country to spend the holiday with him and Judy. After several days of turkey, BBQ, bowling, tennis and lots of laughs, he would comment that most families dread events like this but his family members truly liked each other.

During this last year, Paul wrote his memoir, A Lifetime of Collecting Experiences. Weaved throughout his book are his secrets to nine decades of happiness: a strong commitment to family, friends, faith, intellectual curiosity, empathy to others, and last but not least, continual humor. His book launch party at the Arboretum Barnes and Noble was recently featured on the nightly news.

Paul’s final chapter ended at age 92 on July 6, 2021, when he peacefully passed away at his home of fifty years, surrounded by his wife and family.

Preceded in death by his parents John Andrew and Anna King Hickey and siblings Florence Hickey, Christine Hickey, John King Hickey, Mary Catherine Gardner, James Hickey, and Dorothy Wickens, Paul is survived by his wife Judy; children Karen Hickey Frazier (Rob), Mike Hickey (Susan), John Hickey (Melinda), Lisa Hickey Baile (Jim), and Julie Hickey (Lori Chelius); and grandchildren Ian, Michael, Luke and Robert Frazier, Paul and Scott Hickey, Joel and Matthew Hickey, Bridget and Charlotte Baile, and Jackson, Lucy and Ellie Chelius. He is also survived by numerous in-laws, nieces, nephews and their children all over the country.

Paul’s family would like to sincerely thank all of the wonderful caregivers who have provided support for him this last year and Hospice Austin for their valued service in the last few months. We are especially grateful for his excellent team of doctors and their staffs, including Stephen Bekanich, M.D., Kenneth Kroll, M.D. and John Bertelson, M.D.

There will be a visitation at Cook-Walden Funeral Home at 6100 N. Lamar Boulevard on Thursday, July 15th from 4:00 P.M. to 6:00 P.M., with a rosary following. The Funeral Mass will be held at St. Theresa Catholic Church on Friday, July 16th at 1:00 P.M. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Mobile Loaves and Fishes or Catholic Charities of Central Texas.