Mary Hicks

Mary Agnes Hicks passed away on May 2nd, 2019, at age 82 surrounded by family after a brief, but valiant battle with Leukemia.   Mary Agnes Hicks (Prinzing) was born on May 18, 1936, in Rochester, New York, to her beloved mother, Cecelia, and her father, Peter Prinzing. She was the third child and only girl in the family. She was adored by her older brothers, Peter and James, and younger brother, John.   Mary attended grade school in Brighton, New York, and later attended Holy Trinity School. She graduated from the 8th grade in 1950 with her classmates with whom she would maintain several lifelong friendships. Mary attended several reunions with her fellow students over her lifetime and last appeared at her class’ 67th reunion in 2017. Mary then attended Our Lady of Mercy School for Young Women High School in Rochester, New York, and graduated in 1954. She was accepted to the Mercy Hospital School of Nursing to begin her lifelong dream of becoming a nurse. She completed the program in 1957 and began her career as a nurse by working as an emergency room nurse in New York and California over the next two years.   While living in Lynwood, California, at age 22 she became interested in and joined the Lay Mission Helpers, a Catholic charitable organization. Mary trained with the group for one year preparing to serve as a nurse overseas in an impoverished country. She was assigned to work in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe), Africa, as a nurse treating local tuberculosis patients. During the next three years, Mary performed some of the most meaningful and profound work of her life. She fell in love with the African people, culture and animals, and they continued to have a deep impact on her throughout her life. When she was recalled home early due to the threat of violent attacks, Mary refused to leave citing her desire to fulfill her responsibility to those she served.   When Mary returned to the U.S. in 1963, she returned to a different country than she remembered. The increase in social unrest, pollution, traffic congestion and violent crime was almost more than she could bear. Her request to return to Africa was denied, and she struggled to find meaning and purpose in her nursing career. In 1965, she followed her brothers who had joined the military by enlisting in the United States Air Force. After completing her initial training, she was stationed at Mountain Home Air Force Base in Idaho as a surgical nurse. There she made many lifelong friends:  Judy and Harold Swenk, Gene and Dave Mayes, Rosie Potter and Joann Smith. In 1967, she met and fell in love with Michael Hicks who also worked in surgery. Mary was honorably discharged from the Air Force as a 1st Lieutenant and subsequently married Michael at Mountain Home AFB on November 25, 1967.   Mary and Michael moved to Boise shortly afterward and were blessed with two sons, Matthew and Morgan, in 1969 and 1970, respectively. Mary advanced her education and graduated from Boise State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing in 1977. They built a home on Columbus Street in Boise and raised their two boys there until 1979, when the couple divorced. Mary continued to bring up her sons in that home and could be found most days driving them to sports practices and games. She continued to pursue her education over the next several years while working full time and raising two teenage boys. She became a licensed Nurse Practioner in 1980 and obtained her Master of Education degree from the College of Idaho in 1987.   Mary worked for Mountain Bell in downtown Boise for several years before she proudly joined the Veteran’s Administration (V.A.) in 1985. Mary was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1989 and spent most of the next two years successfully battling that disease. She worked in the Boise V.A. office until 1989 when she moved to Las Vegas to serve the veteran population there. She was very passionate about her work providing mental health treatment, and she worked tirelessly to honor her clients’ commitment and sacrifice to this country. She retired from the V.A. in 2002 and moved to Twin Falls, Idaho, to be closer to her grandchildren. She worked at several local businesses providing medical care, including the College of Southern Idaho and Visions Home Health. Mary concluded her career as a nurse by working for Correction Medical Services, providing medical and mental health treatment for inmates in several prisons run by the Idaho Department of Corrections in Boise, Idaho. Mary ended her fifty-seven year career as a nurse in 2014 when she retired.   Mary was fond of saying that being a dedicated career Nurse is not easy, but it has its rewards on earth, and in Heaven. She was also a lifelong animal owner and lover. She owned many cats and dogs throughout her life, but her most recent companion, a pure-bred German Shepard named Caesar, was her pride and joy. She was a constant advocate of animal rights and a magnet on Mary’s fridge stated, “No fashion is complete without dog hair.”   We were all blessed to learn Mary’s many valuable lessons. She was a tenacious supporter of those less fortunate than herself, and she taught her sons and grandchildren the value of volunteerism and serving a cause larger than one’s self. Mary was a fiercely independent woman who took pride in standing up for herself, her clients, and her family. She was a great proponent of education, and she sacrificed much to ensure that her sons had the best schooling possible. Mary’s final lesson to her family was probably her most impactful. When she was confronted with the news that her life was coming to an end, she accepted it with a level of grace and character that inspired and moved everyone around her. Her brother, children and grandchildren all were overcome with the dignity and nobility Mary expressed in her final days. She faced her mortality with the same positive approach she faced life.   She was preceded in death by her beloved mother, Cecelia; her father, Peter; and her two older brothers, Peter and James. She is survived by her younger brother, John Prinzing, two children, Matthew (Jamie) Hicks and Morgan (Susan) Hicks; and five grandchildren: Kylie, Mikayla, Hayden, Madison and Brady Hicks. A funeral Mass will be held in Mary’s honor at St. Edward’s Catholic Church on Wednesday, May 29, 2019, at 11:00 a.m. Internment will be conducted at the convenience of the family in Boise, Idaho, at the Veterans Memorial Cemetery.   Mary’s family would specifically like to thank the staff and residents of Grace Assisted Living Facility for providing such a loving and caring home for her in her final days. The staff at Grace went above and beyond to deliver the best possible care to her and she was grateful for the many friends she made there in such a short amount of time. We would also like to thank the team at Visions Home Health and Hospice for the dedicated and tender attention they gave to our beloved Mary in her final days. They guided us through the entire process and she felt blessed to be cared for by such a dedicated group of professionals.   Donations and cards can be sent to St. Edward’s Catholic Church, in care of Mary Hicks’ memorial.