Gerald Lowell Hickey

SHENANDOAH, Iowa — Gerald Lowell Hickey, 93, Shenandoah, Iowa, formerly of the Northboro and Thurman, Iowa, areas, died Sept. 12, 2019, at Windsor Manor, Shenandoah, Iowa.

A celebration of Gerald’s life was held Sept. 21 at the Thurman United Methodist Church, with Pastor Mike York officiating.

Burial was in the Thurman Cemetery.

Gerald Lowell Hickey was born to John and Vera Hickey March 2, 1926, in Thurman, Iowa. He was the ninth child of 11 born to John and Vera. He attended Thurman Consolidated Schools until he entered the Navy in May 1944. He trained at the Naval Training Center, Great Lakes, Ill., and at the Amphibious Training Base, Fort Pierce, Fla. The ship he was stationed on most of his time was the USS Bunch. In June 1946, he was honorably discharged, at which time he was awarded the China Service Medal, American Campaign Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, World War Victory Medal and the Philippine Liberation Medal. After leaving the Navy, he worked for the Burlington Railroad and Brownie Feed Store in Mendota, Ill., where he met his future wife, Joyce Spaulding. They married July 9, 1950, in Chicago, Ill. Soon after Joyce graduated from nursing school, they moved to Pacific Junction Iowa, where he worked with his brother, Keith, at a service station in Thurman. In 1953, the family moved to Shenandoah, Iowa, where he worked as a truck driver for his brother, Paul; a route salesman for Beatrice Foods/Meadow Gold Dairy; and Eaton Corp., from where he retired in 1988.

In 1980, they moved to the farm in Northboro, Iowa. He loved having dogs and cats, and he especially enjoyed their goats and horses. In October 2017, they moved to Windsor Manor, Shenandoah. In July 2019, Gerald and Joyce observed their 69th wedding anniversary.

Gerald enjoyed fishing, hunting, camping, taking trips to visit relatives all over the country, and attending reunions of the USS Bunch. He was a Boy Scout and Girl Scout leader, and a member of the Sidney, Iowa, American Legion.

Gerald is survived by his wife, Joyce; daughters, Paula Sothman, Hamburg, Iowa; Brenda Cappel and husband, Doug, Strasburg, Colo.; and Patsy Thoene and husband, Gerry, Hartington; and son, Leonard, and wife, Shana, Hinton, Iowa; 10 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren, and many special nieces and nephews.