Lou Ellen Hicks

Lou Ellen Hicks, 83, a resident of Cleveland, went home to be with the Lord on Friday, February 6, 2009 in a Chattanooga hospital. She was a devoted wife, mother and grandmother. Out of her special love for children she started teaching kindergarten in her home in 1961. She later went to work for Bradley County Schools when she retired from teaching in 1987. She was a devoted and life long member of First Baptist Church. She was the daughter of the late Thomas J. and Vesta L. Vogt and was also preceded in death by one sister LaVerne Kincheloe. Survivors include her husband of 63 years, Roy M. Hicks; her daughter and son-in-law, Terri and Ron Ricketts of Cleveland; son and daughter-in-law, Jim and Carolyn Hicks of Knoxville; her grandchildren: Laura Ricketts, Leslie and Ryan Tyner all of Cleveland, Rachel and Carlos Martinez of Forrest Hills, NY and J.R. and Sarah Hicks of Flowery Branch, Georgia; one great-grandson, Matthew Martinez of Forrest Hills, NY. The funeral will be conducted at 7:00 p.m. Monday, February 9, 2009 in the chapel of Ralph Buckner Funeral Home with Reverend Tom Moncrief and Dr. Jameson L. Work officiating. Interment will be held on Tuesday, February 10, 2009 at 11:00 a.m. at Hilcrest Memorial Gardens with a white dove release ceremony concluding the service Pallbearers will be Raymond Smith, Matt Smith, Pat Harding, Shawn Harding, Ray Norman and Bud Cochran. Her family will receive friends from 5-7 p.m. Monday at the funeral home prior to the service. Memorials may be made to the First Baptist Church Children?s Ministries, 340 Church Street, NE, Cleveland, TN 37311. We invite you to send a message of condolence and view the Hicks family guestbook at www.ralphbuckner.com.