John D Hickman

John D. Hickman, age 82, died January 8, 2015. He was born in Renrock in rural Ohio and was very proud of his Noble County heritage. He played football for Caldwell High School. In 1952 he joined the US Navy and served his country aboard the aircraft carrier U.S.S. Bennington during the Korean War. He graduated from The Ohio State University and received a master’s degree from Marshall University in physical education. He was a legend in the Gahanna school district, involved for over 45 years in athletics and 30 years teaching fulltime . In his honor, the Gahanna Lincoln High School home locker room was named after him. He was a devoted track official heavily involved for over 50 years and officiated track events all over the country, including middle school meets, the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta and everything in between. He loved Ohio State sports, especially football, and he didn’t miss a home game from 1958 until 2001.The rescheduling of an OSU game after the 9/11 terrorist attacks conflicted with a date he had committed to officiate a track meet, and true to his character, John kept his commitment. He knew someone everywhere he went. It wasn’t possible to go somewhere with him and not hear “Hey, aren’t you John Hickman?” John was “a tough old bird” and a cancer survivor, but at 82 he wasn’t able to bounce back from a series of injuries and complications following surgery. John is survived by his loving wife, Janet; 3 children, John “Woody” (Melissa) Hickman, Holly (Bill) Heer, and Matt (Angela) Gephart; and 5 grandchildren, Susie and Alexander Heer, Ellie and John “Nat” Hickman, and Everly Gephart. He was predeceased by his brother, Donald Hickman and his sister, Joanne Hickman. Visitation will be 5-8 PM Sunday and 2-4 PM Monday at the SCHOEDINGER NORTHEAST CHAPEL, 1051 E. Johnstown Rd. where a funeral service will be held Monday January 12, 2015 at 4 PM. In lieu of flowers the family requests donations be made to the Gahanna Lincoln Athletic Hall of Fame, where a scholarship for a deserving Gahanna Lincoln High School student is being set up in John’s memory. Please visit www.schoedinger.com to share a memory of John.