James Joseph Hickey

If being 'the coolest dude ever' was his goal in life, Jim Hickey achieved it to the highest degree. Born October 24, 1950 to a farmer and a teacher on a Tuesday in Iowa, neither his 12 siblings nor his parents could have predicted what an exciting life he would go on to live. He served as an altar boy as a child & graduated high school in 1968 before being drafted to Vietnam. He chose to be a mechanic in the Air Force & had the opportunity to travel extensively (he especially liked Alaska). After serving, Jim came back to the states and lived in California attending UCLA Davis & enjoying activities like deep sea fishing and backpacking in Lake Tahoe. By the 80's, he settled down in Champaign, Illinois - married Kathryn Gannon and had three daughters: Jessica, Sarah & Abby (eventually moving to Michigan). He loved his children and grandchildren deeply and never forgot to mention it. He will be extremely missed by all who knew and loved him. Intellectual, humorous, charming, generous and caring - Jim led a bounitful and happy life always marching to the beat of his own drum, he will be celebrated forever.