Mary Patricia Hicken, formerly of Macomb, Illinois, and Grand Marais, died in Iowa City, Iowa, on January 13, 2015.
She was born on February 9, 1923, in New York City, to Daniel and Elizabeth (Price) O’Connell. Her parents were Irish immigrants, of County Kerry and County Armagh, respectively. At the age of 6, she lost a brother, a sister and her mother within a three-week period, leaving her as the oldest female member of the family. She attended parochial school and Hunter College in New York City.
In 1943, she met Ensign Victor Hicken at a USO dance. They were married on December 28, 1943, at the Old Courthouse in Eastville, Virginia. Their marriage prospered for 65 years until Victor’s death in April 2010.
After World War II, Victor was offered a position as a history instructor at Western Illinois Normal School (now Western Illinois University) and they lived in Macomb until their last years. They raised their four children – Jeff, Brian, Elizabeth and Dan.
Mary resumed her education, graduating from Western with a philosophy degree in 1981. She served as an editor of The Journal of Developing Areas for many years. She also worked with Victor as a researcher and editor for his many books and publications, including Illinois in the Civil War, still in print. Although she embraced her life in the Midwest, Mary never surrendered her distinctive New York accent.
In 1980, Victor and Mary purchased their seasonal home on the South Shore of Devil Track Lake in Grand Marais. They loved being part of the community, and when health concerns required them to leave, they ensured continuity by passing on the home to their daughter Liz Christiansen and her husband, Dana. Eventually, their granddaughter Molly Hicken moved to Lutsen and is now the newly elected Cook County attorney.
She is survived by her children, Jeff Hicken (Mary) of Naples, Florida and Lutsen; Brian O’Connell (Lesley) of Oxford, United Kingdom; Elizabeth Christiansen (Dana) of Iowa City, Iowa; and Daniel Hicken (Kim) of Riverside, California; as well as her grandchildren, Andy Hicken (Elizabeth Mackey) of Madison, Wisconsin; Molly Hicken (Paul Nordlund) of Lutsen; Elizabeth Hicken (Dan Bellrichard) of Decorah, Iowa; Evan O’Connell of Paris, France; Rachel O’Connell of Mahopac, New York; and six great-grandchildren.
She was predeceased by her husband, Victor, her parents and her siblings, Elizabeth Fagerstrom, Evelyn Kummer, Catherine O’Connell and Daniel O’Connell.
A memorial service will be held at St. George’s Episcopal Church, Macomb, Illinois, on February 28, 2015. In lieu of flowers or gifts, donations are preferred to Western Illinois University in the name of the Victor and Mary Hicken Scholarship Fund.
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