John Caldwell Hicks

John Caldwell Hicks died on March 21, 2014, at the age of 88 at the Presbyterian Home in Quitman, Georgia. He was born on October 21, 1925 at the home of his parents in Thomasville, Georgia. Son of the late George Franklin Hicks, Jr. and Kate Caldwell Hicks, he was a sixth generation descendant of one of the founding families of Thomas County. His grandparents were John Richard and Minnie Hearn Caldwell of Thomasville and George Franklin and Julia Augusta Reynolds Hicks of Metcalfe.
John was a 1944 graduate of Thomasville High School and served in the U.S. Navy during World War II as an Air Traffic Controller. He began working at Hicks Clothing Company on Broad Street, the business his father founded in 1936, in his early teens. Following his father’s death, he returned to Thomasville from Macon at age 24 to help run the business and support his mother and minor siblings. He maintained a business partnership with his sister, Charlotte Hicks Kanning Hungate, for decades, and as President of the company actively managed the menswear side of the business well into his seventies. Many people considered him the ultimate authority in men’s clothing. John was known for his expertly designed window displays, which won several prizes over the years during the Rose Show’s window competition among the downtown merchants. He had a keen eye for gentlemen’s fashion, superb attention to detail, and never forgot his customers’ sizes. His style, commitment, and business acumen helped Hicks Clothing become the oldest continually operating business on Broad Street.
In addition to being a prominent figure in downtown Thomasville’s business district, he was involved in the community. He was a founding member of the Thomasville Exchange Club, member of the Chamber of Commerce Merchant’s Board, and used his hallmark dry sense of humor to participate in The Follies sponsored by the Junior Service League. John was a lifelong member of the First United Methodist Church in Thomasville, where as a teenager he climbed the stairs into the steeple to ring the bell that called worshippers to the eleven o’clock service. He often extended help to others as a quiet disciple.
John lived most of his life in his parents’ home, which was built by his grandfather, and where he was born and raised. His interests included his garden and koi pond. Flowers and birds thrived in his yard. He collected antiques and had an interest in architecture and décor. In years past he enjoyed travelling, and had visited destinations such as California, Cuba, and South America. He enjoyed time with family members at St. George Island, Florida.
John was a Southern gentleman with impeccable manners who was always well spoken and always well dressed. John loved and was devoted to his family. He will be missed.
He is survived by his sister Charlotte Hicks Kanning Hungate and his brother George Franklin Hicks III. Area nieces and nephews include Tim Drew and his son Channing Drew; Kate Kanning Wilder (Bobby) and her children Hannah Beshears, Steven Weisenborn, and Jackson Weisenborn; Kate West; Augusta West and her son James Floyd; and Louisa West Patton and her son Ivan West. A number of other nieces, nephews and cousins also survive him. He is preceded in death by his parents and his sisters Katherine Hicks Blackson and Theresa Hicks West.
Visitation will be at Allen and Allen Funeral Home on Monday, March 24, 2014 from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. Funeral services will be conducted at the First United Methodist Church in Thomasville on Tuesday, March 25 at 2:00 p.m. Interment will be at the Hicks family cemetery near Metcalfe, Ga. Memorial contributions may be made to the First United Methodist Church, P. O. Box 975,Thomasville,GA 31799 or The Presbyterian Home, P. O. Box 407, Quitman, GA 31643 or Hospice of Southwest Georgia, 114 A Mimosa Drive, Thomasville, GA 31792.
ALLEN & ALLEN FUNERAL HOME