Willie Hickey

Funeral services for Willie Helton Hickey, Sr., age 90 of Carleton, MI and formerly of Cookeville, were held Saturday February 20 at 11 am in Dyer Chapel. Interment followed in Boiling Springs Cemetery. His family received friends Friday from 2 pm until 8 pm and Saturday from 9 am until service time at the funeral home. Willie passed away peacefully at home on Saturday, February 13, 2021, under the care of hospice. Born May 10, 1930 in Cookeville, Tennessee. He was one of four children to the late Oscar and Nettie (Harness) Hickey. In the early 1950’s he moved to the Monroe area. Willie made his living working at Ford Motor Company as a Machine Operator for 30 and a half years before retiring in 1982. He married the love of his life, Daisy L. Nelson on October 2, 1948. They had a family of six children and spent over 67 wonderful years together until Daisy’s passing in 2015. Willie was a devoted husband and father who enjoyed taking care of his family. In his free time, you could find him in the middle of the woods hunting. He and family used to go camping in their motor home He also enjoyed going out on the boat on Lake Erie to get walleye. Sadly, Willie leaves behind a son, Willie (Deborah) Hickey, Jr. of Maybee; two daughters, Deborah (Tony) Gilmer of Carleton and Alesia (Tom) Gautz of Monroe; son in law, Daniel Jackson of Baxter, TN; eleven grandchildren; Michael Jackson, Roy Hickey, Lisa Hammond, Jeremy Hickey, John Hickey, Justin Paul, Jessyka Paul, Garrett (Journee) Gautz, Kyle (Amelia) Gautz, Jeffrey Hickey, and Matthew Hickey; eleven great grandchildren; and four great-great grandchildren. In addition to his parents and wife, he is preceded in death by three children; an infant son, Roy Hickey, daughter, Delcia Jackson, and a son, Aaron “Wayne” Hickey; two brothers, Travis and Jay Hickey; a sister, Gerthree Hickey; two grandchildren, Troy Hickey and Kenneth Jackson; three great grandchildren, Tiegan and Taryn Romans, and Elizabeth Hickey. Dyer Chapel of Hooper-Huddleston & Horner Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements (931) 526-7158. You may share your thoughts and memories at www.dyerfh.com.