William Thomas Hicks

William Thomas (Bill, W. T., Dub) Hicks The second child of Charles Walker & Elsa (Allmon) Hicks was born 5/15/32 in Honey Grove, TX. As a small child Bill, sister Charlene & their father moved to Dallas. To the family was added stepmother Atola Hicks & stepsister Barbara. The expanded family moved to a farm outside of Wilmer in 40. Bill was a graduate of Wilmer-Hutchins High School in 44. In later years, he enjoyed attending class reunions visiting with old friends, talking about good ol' days & the new things in his life. Fresh out of school, he went to work at Sam Ross McElreath Co., the to Simmons Mattress in 47. Also in 47, he met, fell in love with & married his sweetheart Mildred Jane Mayfield on October 30. After a challenge by a shop supervisor at Cabell's Dairy, he was told he could have the job of mechanic's helper if he could put back together an old truck & make it crank on the first try. Unbeknownst to the shop supervisor, Bill did not take challenges lightly & he succeeded & started his new job. He learned to weld at Truck Equipment Co. & Fruehauf Trailers. On 2/28/50 he started working at Yellow Freight Lines and retired 5/31/91 after 41 years. He served as Shop Foreman, but decided it was not the position for him & returned to what he loved most at Yellow, working as a mechanic. He designed & built a switch mule that engineers said could not be done. Of course, by the time they said that, it had been in operation for several months. Bill was a member of Teamster Union Local 745. In 50, William & Mildred moved to Dallas adding to their family daughters Debby, Patty, & Teresa. 1955 brought the Hicks family back to Wilmer & added nephews Jimmy & Donny Venabler to the brew. Jimmy & Don were their boys & big brothers to the girls. With everyone now settled in Wilmer, the family grew one more time with the birth of Julia. Bill not only took on this responsibility but also helped with the care of his mother-in-law Edith Mayfield & niece Sharon Mayfield. Over the years, William was active in community activities. He was Wilmer's first City Marshall from 55-58 when he resigned. In 56 he attended the Dallas County Sheriff Department training school finishing first in a class of 33. He was under the watchful eye of Sheriff Bill Decker & training director Charles Player. From 62-68 Bill was on the Wilmer City Council, with five of those years as mayor pro-tem. He continued to serve the city on the planning & zoning committee for several years. He was a member of the Wilmer Volunteer Fire Department for 21 years, retiring in 76. As a fireman, he served as president, first assistant chief & was the chief at the time he retired. With his buddy, O.B. Rogers, many a fire was extinguished. The twosome also spent many hours maintaining & repairing the first trucks using their mechanical skills to keep the trucks in tip top condition ready to go at a moments notice. He became the first Emergency Medical Technician for Wilmer in 75 after completing classroom training & on the job training at Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas. Prior to this, William accompanied Byrum's ambulance driver for many years. In 59 he was chosen by the Fire Chiefs Association of Dallas County as the "Outstanding Fireman of the Year", receiving a trophy at their annual dinner. This trophy was not only an honor to him but a source of pride & joy for his family. He was ordained a Deacon at First Baptist Church in Wilmer on 5/13/73. He served his Lord & his church as a faithful & dedicated Christian as a teaher, a treasurer, and a witness selflessly. He took part in a mission trip to London, Ontario, Canada in 82 where he shared his love for Christ. He & Mildred moved their membership to First Baptist Church Lancaster in 89 where they continued to serve actively in the church family. At FBC Lancaster, he participated in the rebuilds & repairs of homes devastated & destroyed by the tornados, worked with the youth groups on summer mission projects, and most importantly, continued to show God's love through his words, his actions, and his life. He was preceded in death by his father Charles, stepmother Atola, mother Elsa, sisters Charlene & Barbara, nephew Donny, and great grandson Aaron Young. Survived by wife of 63 years, Mildred; daughters Deborah (Bill) Faulkner, Patty (Al) Daniel, Teresa (Paul) Lindquist, Julia (Sid) Short; nephew Charles (Sharon) Venable; niece Sharon (Art) Litke; 14 grandchildren; 19 great-grandchildren; numerous cousins, nieces & nephews.

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William Thomas Hicks

May 15, 1926 - November 1, 2010