Elizabeth Hicks

Elizabeth Jane Bryant Hicks, daughter of the late Dick W. Bryant and Ollie St. John Bryant, was born on the family's farm, near Tram Switch railroad line (5 miles south of Morehouse, Missouri), on Oct. 23, 1940, in New Madrid County, Missouri. She peacefully departed this life at 3:40 a.m. Friday, Feb. 11, 2022, from her home in Jackson, at the age of 81 years.

On Oct. 26, 1957, in Hernando, Mississippi, she was united in marriage to Franklin Dee Wayne Hicks, who survives her.

In addition to her husband, she is survived by her sons Dale Hicks, and his wife, Kimberly, of Branson West, Missouri, and Kendal Hicks, and his wife, Regina, of Fort Myers, Florida. She is also survived by six grandchildren, Krystin Hoagland, Nathan, Isaac and Josiah Hicks, Breanna Jeffords and Kassidy Dowell; along with six great-grandchildren.

Other than her parents, she was preceded in death by her brother, Billy G. Bryant, and infant sister, Loretta Bryant.

At the young age of 10 years, while attending church camp, she accepted Jesus as her Lord and Savior and was baptized years later by her own son, the Rev. Kendal B. Hicks. She was a member of Lynwood Baptist Church in Cape Girardeau, and currently attended First Baptist Church in Jackson. She enjoyed working Wednesday night kitchen meal duty in each church she attended, which also included the four years at Cornerstone Baptist, while she and Dee Wayne lived in Jefferson City, Missouri.

Jane represented Morehouse in the 1957 Cotton Carnival Contest, and was crowned reigning queen for 1958.

Jane and Dee Wayne were the proud parents of two sons, Dale and Kendal. She always felt honored to be Cub Scout den mother for her sons, and her group of Cubbies, for five years. She was an arts and crafts kind of lady, creating church worship banners and, also, flower arrangements for weddings. She also made floral arrangements that were given away at the annual Modern Woodman Christmas dinners. Additionally, Jane was selected to serve as the Missouri MW representative at the National Modern Woodman Convention on two separate occasions.

Jane worked 13 years for First National Bank (now known as Montgomery Bank) of Sikeston, Missouri. In her next career move, she was very proud to have been the first woman hired at Gold Bond Ice Cream in Sikeston, where she would work for the next 18 years before commencing her retirement. Jane would laughingly recall employees tapping on the office window for Jane to "clock them in and out" since the plant was just established and a time clock had not yet been installed.

Jane and Dee Wayne simultaneously had a farm they worked themselves through hands-on labors of love. She loved driving the tractors, especially the open-air ones. Along with her husband, she was able to teach, and develop, agriculture management and production techniques with her two sons through their teenage years.

Visitation will be held from 10 a.m. to noon Tuesday at Cape County Memorial Park Mausoleum in Cape Girardeau.

Funeral services will be held at noon Tuesday at the mausoleum. Entombment will take place in the Cape County Memorial Park Mausoleum.

Memorials are suggested to Wounded Warrior Project, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and Safe Harbor Animal Shelter in Jackson.

Ford and Sons Funeral Home in Jackson is in charge of arrangements.

Online condolences can be given at www.fordandsonsfuneralhome.com.