Beverly Sue Hicks

Beverly “Bev”, 97, died peacefully at home on January 16, 2021, surrounded by family.  She was a loving and devoted mother and wife, and a loyal and caring friend.  She had a beautiful smile and a great zest for life.

Bev was born October 20, 1923 in Lansing, MI.  Her father, Samuel VanWagenen was a painter, and her mother, Nellie Titus VanWagenen, was a church organist. Bev adored her older sister, Alfretta “Fritzi” Sanford, and the two were best friends throughout their lives.

Bev graduated from Eastern High School, where she met the love of her life and husband of 74 years, Romayne “Rick” Hicks.  Their married life began while he was in the U.S. Army Air Forces and stationed in Texas and Nebraska.  When the war ended in 1945, they returned to Michigan to be close to family and to start a family of their own.

Nothing was more important to Bev than spending time with family. In the early days as she and Rick were raising their four children, they enjoyed trips out west to visit the National Parks, camping in Canada, ski trips, and vacations on Cedar Hedge and Higgins Lake.

Once her children were grown, Bev returned to work in the family business, the Romayne E. Hicks Real Estate Co.  After Bev and Rick retired and closed the company, they enjoyed trips to Alaska, Wyoming, and Arizona, where they eventually built a home to escape the Michigan winters. Bev took up the game of golf while living there – a game she continued to play into her 90s.  But it was their cabin on the Au Sable River that brought Bev the greatest joy.  She loved spending time there and hosting family and friends.  She was always ready and eager to go on a canoe trip, take a walk in the woods, or play games.  She was fiercely competitive and many recall times at the cabin when she would leap across the table to grab a spoon from the competition during a heated game of “Spoons.”

Throughout her life, Bev was known for her gentle, quiet and kind demeanor.  She had a wonderful sense of humor, a warm smile, and an incredible ability to let things roll off her shoulder, which is not an easy thing to do.  Family (dogs and grand dogs included) meant the world to her, and she meant the world to them. She loved to cook and bake and she was exceptionally good at both. Many of her special recipes have been passed on to family and friends, including “Bev’s Cheesey Grits” which she made for every holiday gathering.  She made everything from scratch with the finest of ingredients – a value she taught all four of her children.

Bev was a diehard Spartan fan and rarely missed watching a football or basketball game.  She would watch in silence until the team was about to score, then would jump up and scream, “Go, go, go!” She also loved listening to music and enjoyed many different artists, but nothing energized her more than listening to Frank Sinatra’s version of “New York New York” which always got her on her feet dancing!

Bev was preceded in death by her parents, Samuel and Nellie VanWagenen, her husband, Romayne “Rick” E. Hicks; her sister, Alfretta “Fritzi” Sanford.  She is survived by sons Jim (Mayette) and Jeff (LeAnn), all of Lansing; son Kristen of Sherman Oaks, CA; daughter Cathy of Madison, WI.  She is also survived by grandchildren; great-grandchildren; several nieces and nephews, including special niece Amy Grice of Dansville; and three special grand dogs, Bode, Daisy, and Madeline.

A celebration of Bev’s life will be held at a later date when it is safe to gather. Memorial contributions may be made to: National Kidney Foundation of Michigan, 1169 Oak Valley Drive, Ann Arbor, MI 48108.

Arrangements are by the Estes-Leadley Greater Lansing Chapel.