Janie Hicks

The earth angel whose name was Janie Boykin Hicks moved to higher ground before dawn on June 10, 2014, three weeks after celebrating her 98th birthday. The oldest member of the First Presbyterian Church, she had always been a steadfast disciple of her God and attended services every Sunday until a few weeks ago. Her long life gave her countless opportunities for acts of unbridled kindness and philanthropy and she took full advantage in these expressions of her faith. She served as a Stephen Minister for many years. And, as a child of the South, she never missed a chance to offer abundant food and embellished stories to everyone she met. Always positive and healthy, she and her children expected that she would outlast all of the huge oak trees in her yard. Many describe her as the best person they have ever known. Born in Lamar, South Carolina on May 17, 1916, to E. Brooks Boykin and Annie Bishop Stuckey, she enjoyed an idyllic childhood until her mother died when she was eight. She lived with two of her mother's sisters for several years until her father re-created a family by marrying Pearl Brasington of Darlington, SC. She attended the University of South Carolina, the Columbia Music Conservatory and graduated from Bowen's Business College. Janie married James Everett Hicks in March of 1941 and they celebrated 55 years of marriage before he died in 1996. She believed strongly in doing her part to make the Spartanburg community vibrant and welcoming. Her volunteer Activities included 12 years as a member of the Board of Directors for Junior Achievement and she was a very enthusiastic member and President of the Executive Club of the Spartanburg Chamber of Commerce. She chaired the Spartanburg Housing Authority and served on its Board of Directors for 8 years. She was a founding member of the Spartanburg Altrusa Club which was formed in 1961. She served as President of the club and was named as Altrusan of the year in 2004. The club honored her with the formation of the Jane Hicks Scholarship Fund which makes yearly awards to a student at Dorman High School and at The Spartanburg Day School. Prior to her marriage she was employed by the South Carolina Tax Commission. During World War II she was Secretary to the post Commander at the Columbia Army Air Base while her husband was serving as Commander of the Southwest Army Finance Corps in Australia for 3 ½ years. During this time she and her roommates spent most evenings after work walking all over Columbia collecting items to be recycled for the benefit of the war, doing their best to help on the home front. Upon Everett's return from the Australia, they lived in Paris Texas, Charlotte, NC, and Pendleton, SC, later settling in Spartanburg. Their three children, Jimmy, Beverly, and Ed challenged her with many shenanigans, which never ruffled her feathers nor left her in ill humor. (They knew from whence their mischievousness came!) During the 1960 census, she worked as a crew leader and learned her way around every nook and cranny in Spartanburg County. That served her well when she began her real estate career in Spartanburg the following year, a pioneer as one of the first women in Spartanburg in that line of work. She enjoyed every moment of a long and successful saga of finding just the right home for hundreds of clients who became her friends. She was a member of the Spartanburg, South Carolina and National Associations of REALTORS from 1961 until 2007. During that time she served for 14 years as a member of the Board of Directors of the South Carolina Association of REALTORS, Vice President of Region 5, Secretary of the Real Estate Education Foundation and served as a member of various state committees. She was President of the Spartanburg Board and had numerous awards including REALTOR of the Year for Spartanburg in 1979 and 1984, REALTOR of the Year for South Carolina in 1986. She was named one of the first 10 members of the Spartanburg REALTOR Hall of Fame in 2001. A charter member of the SC Chapter of CRS, she was President of that group in its first year and was also honored as the first Certified Residential Specialist of the Year in 1989 and received the President's award in 1991. More recently she was a member of the Atheneaum Book Club, Circle #4 at her church and played bridge for fun. Her many activities included membership in the Oliver Edwards Chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy for which she served as President and the Spartanburg Art Club, also serving as President of that group. She was an accomplished artist in several media and especially loved to paint sunsets and irises. Even after she lost most of her vision, determined to do everything for herself, she still painted and sewed. For her intellectual stimulation, the Spartanburg County Bookmobile made regular visits and supplied her with a seemingly endless variety of books on CD. Committed to regular exercise, she found pleasure and pride in walking every day. Very modest about her accomplishments, she had a great sense of humor and was a wonderful storyteller. In fact it seems to run in the family because her first cousin, Buford Mabry, was for a time the official South Carolina storyteller. A generous, optimistic, and loving person, she never met a stranger, was fearless and loved to travel all over the world. If she could not find a travel partner, she would just go by herself and come home with wonderful stories about the people she met along the way. Her secretarial skills came in handy when she was called on frequently to edit, type and check the spelling in Everett's many letters to the editor of The Spartanburg Herald Journal. She is survived by her sons and their wives, Dr. James E. Hicks, Jr. and Lynn McKown of Fernandina Beach, FL, Edward B. Hicks and Cullen continued... 1 2 Next ...continued Covington of Asheville and her daughter and son-in law, Beverly Thomas and Jesse McDaniel of Raleigh. Her five grandchildren and one "chosen" grand-daughter are: Melissa Hurwirz and husband Keith of Atlanta, James E. Hicks, III and wife Karen of Greer, Robert F. Hicks and wife Kim of Fernandina Beach, FL, Wes Thomas of Apex, NC, Dr. Lauryl Tucker and husband Adam, of Sewanee, TN, and Susan Maddux and husband Brian of Boiling Springs, SC. Her six great grandchildren are Shea Thomas, IV, Clay, Lucy, Everett and Grady Hicks and Ian Tucker. Susan's sons, Austin and Preston Stevenson are cherished additions to the family. She was predeceased by her one sibling, a brother, Neal LeGrande Boykin of Washington, DC, and his son, Roger O. Boykin of Shreveport, Louisiana, whose widow, Faye, their children and grandchildren, and her great-niece Kat Boykin, were part of her beloved extended family. She also leaves a special friend, Cathy Wells of Spartanburg, SC. A memorial service celebrating Janie's life will be held Sunday the 15th of June at 2:00 in the afternoon at The First Presbyterian Church, 393 East Main Street, Spartanburg. The family will receive friends following the service in the church parlor. Any and all remembrances will be welcomed by the family with gratitude. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to The Jane Hicks ASTRA Scholarship Fund, c/o The Spartanburg County Foundation, 424 East Kennedy Street, Spartanburg, 29302 or online at www.spcf.org We thank the dear friends who for many years visited her, drove her to church, and facilitated her continued participation in activities that kept her engaged in the world after she could not drive or see well. Also, special thanks go to caregivers/friends at Dillon Pointe Assisted Living where she resided for many years and to the tender and caring souls at Summit Hills and Gentiva Hospice who made her final weeks peaceful. The most special recognition and gratitude go to one of God's angels on earth, Nancy Bernard, who provided amazing comfort and caring to Janie and her children. Floyd's North Church Street Chapel Book Travel to Services To send flowers or a memorial gift to the family of Janie Boykin Hicks please visit our Sympathy Store.