William Edward Hicks

William Edward Hicks, a resident of Troy, passed away on Friday, July 18, 2025, after an extended illness. He is survived by his loving wife of 36 years, Deborah Hicks; daughters, Suzanne Dukes (Buddy), Adrienne Hicks (Casey McGuire), Caitlin Hicks (Robert Griggs); grandchildren, Bethany Patel (Deven), Baby Hicks McGuire; great grandson, Ren Patel; as well as several nieces and nephews. Ed was preceded in death by his parents, John & Geneva Hicks; and siblings, Mildred Sherrer, Martha Nell Reach, Johnnie Ruth Myers, and Tom Hicks.

Ed Hicks was born on March 3rd, 1938, in the coal mining town of Belle Ellen, Alabama. His early childhood was spent playing bocce ball with neighbors, helping his dad at the butcher shop, and using any spare moment throwing a baseball. When Belle Ellen shut down, Ed’s family moved to Pea Ridge, Alabama, and he enrolled in the Montevallo school system. Growing up with no money to spare, Ed knew his grit, work ethic, and gift for athletics were his only way beyond Pea Ridge. After graduating Montevallo High School, he went on to have a brief stint in minor league baseball.

When cut from training camp and with no way to pay for a college education, he returned to Pea Ridge without any idea of his future. Days later, however, he found himself on the campus of Carson Newman University in Tennessee, where he was awarded a dual scholarship in baseball and football. Now with a full ride, he was able to pursue his undergraduate degree in physical education, which he received in 1960. Though minor league and major league scouts alike attempted to recruit him after graduation, he was struck by the clarity that his path was something else. As he went on to coach football and teach Algebra and English at high schools in Georgia, he discovered the latter might be that path.

Once the inevitability of a life in language and literature was realized, he left for the University of Georgia where he earned an MA in English and completed all but the dissertation in his doctoral program in American Literature. It was here that the power of education became his devotion. In 1974, Ed joined the English Department at Troy State University, where he remained a pillar for the next 38 years. During these nearly four decades, he served as the department chair, received the Ingalls award, moved countless students with his spirited lectures, and, maybe, most importantly, met the woman he would spend the next 47 years of his life with. Both modern day Romantics, they built a home together—with their own four hands—out in the country, where they raised gardens, cattle and, later, their children.

Ed’s love for language was not confined to the classroom, though. Many might have seen him in TROY’s theatre productions of The King and I, My Fair Lady, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Our Town or Hamlet; at poetry readings in Troy and Brundidge or on the street inspiring a stranger to pick up a book of poetry. Wherever Ed could share in the joy of life, conversation, or spirited debate, he would be there. With his friend John Crosby, you could find him building a cabin or cutting wood; with Mike Gibson, discovering the best wines while sharing a glass of one; with Tori Averett, writing songs over Thursday lunches; with Coleman Barks, communing with poets and artists all over the country and out of it; with strangers and friends, laughing around the dinner table; or with his children, importing the values of curiosity, learning, and courage.

More than anything else in the world, Ed loved his daughters. All three with their own artistic gift of music, dance, and theatre, they found their own kind of language to love, and he was never more proud than when watching them on stage. As they make sense of a world without Ed Hicks, they will always know the very best parts of him live on in their art.

It would be hard to meet a single person who knew Ed and was not changed by him in some way. Ever the educator, he did not teach people what to think but how to. Infectious was his profound appreciation for thought, clever language, art, beauty, and what this “being human” means. Whether in the outfield, classroom, or theatre, at the table or farm, or under the windchimes, Ed will be remembered for his passionate devotion to thinking and living: the kind of raging Dylan Thomas would be proud of.

In lieu of flowers, we ask that you share a memory of Ed here on the Green Hills website and join us as we celebrate the life of one who changed the lives of so many, Saturday, August 23, 2025, at the Emporium in Downtown Troy from 4:00-6:00pm.

The staff of Green Hills Funeral Home is honored to serve the Hicks family.