Visitation:
Monday, March 25, 2024, at Zion Lutheran Church in
Mt. Pulaski from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Service:
10 a.m. Tuesday at the church
Funeral home:
Fricke-Calvert-Schrader, Mt. Pulaski
Obituary
Marilyn Jean Hickey, 88, of Mt.
Pulaski, Illinois, passed away peacefully at
Springfield Memorial Hospital, on March 20, 2024,
surrounded by her loving husband and three children.
Marilyn was born December 21, 1935, in Lincoln, to
Herb and Esther Nora (Dittus) Schaffenacker. She
attended Laughrey school before attending Zion
Lutheran Church and School, where she remained an
active member her whole life. She graduated from Mt.
Pulaski High School in 1953.
After high school, Marilyn met Edward Hickey Jr.,
while he was shelling corn on her family’s farm in
rural Mt. Pulaski. After hearing her laugh, he knew
that he wanted to continue hearing that laugh for
years to come. They were married on January 18,
1961, and have been inseparable ever since. Marilyn
loved farming alongside Ed their entire married
life.
Marilyn was a devoted wife, mother, grandmother, and
great-grandmother. She always looked forward to the
holidays when the whole family would be gathered at
their house, for her big meal and ten plus desserts.
She was known for making the best goulash,
strawberry pie, and chocolate chip cookies. Most of
her time was spent alongside Ed, mowing, tending to
the flower beds, canning peaches and pickles, and
taking their spoiled dog, Squirt, for short Sunday
drives. You could always find her in the stands
cheering on her grandkids and great-grandkids at
basketball, baseball, and volleyball games, track
meets, dirt bike races, and several cattle shows. |
Marilyn is survived by her devoted
husband Ed, her children Charles (Stacy) Hickey,
Kathy (Kevin) Wilham, Carol (Marty) Spear;
grandchildren, Marcy (Daniel) Smock, Mindy (Zachary)
Switzer, Allison (Clint) Thompson, Brandon (Brooke)
Hickey, Kelsey (Noah) Lindsay, Kourtney Wilham, and
Ashlyn Hickey; great-grandchildren, Garrett,
Benjamin, Gabe, Grant, Grayson, Maddox, Crew, and
her first great-granddaughter due to arrive in
August.
She was preceded in death by her parents and her two
brothers, Wilford and Harold Schaffenacker.
A visitation will be held on Monday, March 25, 2024,
at Zion Lutheran Church in Mt. Pulaski from 4 p.m.
to 7 p.m. followed by a funeral on Tuesday, March
26, 2024, at the church at 10 a.m. Burial will
follow at Steenbergen Cemetery.
Services are entrusted to Fricke-Calvert-Schrader
Funeral Home, Mt. Pulaski.
The family asks for memorials in Marilyn’s honor to
be made to Zion Lutheran Church or the Mt. Pulaski
FFA.
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Hickey
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