John Bibb Hickman
September 9, 1935 ~ June 27, 2023
Born in:
Ft. Wayne, Indiana
Resided in:
Asheville, North Carolina
John Bibb Hickman, 87, died after a brief illness on June 27, 2023. He was born on September 9, 1935 in Ft. Wayne, Indiana, and lived with his family in Michigan until marrying Marjorie Ruth Hammond on June 22, 1957. He had a contagious enthusiasm for living and learning. He dearly loved his family and many friends and was deeply committed to his community.
John graduated from the University of Michigan in 1959 with a Master’s degree in Chemical Engineering. He worked in Manhattan as a chemical engineering statistician for the American Cyanamid Company, where he conducted experiments to improve process productivity. He then joined the Lummus Company in Newark, where he developed computer simulations of chemical processes to optimize the efficiency of their designs.
In 1963, he returned to Michigan to join the family business, the W.P. Hickman Company. John’s father, William P. Hickman, created the company in 1945, and John wanted to help ensure its continuation after his father’s retirement. Although originally a roofing contracting business, it became a major manufacturer of metal products for flat-roofed non-residential buildings under John’s leadership. He moved the company to Asheville, North Carolina, in 1975. It was a family-run business for nearly 70 years until it was acquired by a Fortune 500 corporation in 2012.
John was General Chairman of the United Way of Asheville and Buncombe County in 1980 and created what eventually became The Peaks Society. As Chairman of the St. Joseph Hospital Foundation, he led the campaign in 1990 to fund a multimillion-dollar lithotripter for treating kidney disease, the first in the region. He was also a Senior Examiner and Board member for the North Carolina Quality Foundation. For that, Governor James B. Hunt conferred upon him the Order of the Long Leaf Pine award in 1993. He also served in leadership roles for the churches he attended.
John served on the Board and as President of the Single Ply Roofing Institute (SPRI), his industry’s trade and technical association, and became the lead author for several ANSI (American National Standards Institute) standards developed by SPRI. He was a charter member of the Board of the Roofing Industry Commission on Wind Issues which formed in August 1992 to address wind damage after Hurricane Andrew devastated South Florida.
John was an avid sailor, traveler, singer, musician, and writer. He delighted in sailing his first boat, Balthazar, on Lake St. Clair near Detroit. Later, he and Marjorie used their trawler Water Music to explore the South Carolina Lowcountry. They enjoyed many sailing excursions to Canada and the Caribbean and shared stories from their travels to other countries. He and Marjorie were members of the Gilbert and Sullivan Society in college and sang in several choirs and choruses together over the years. John took up the Celtic harp in his 60s, and was a member of the Mountain Folkharpers group. He also earned a Master’s degree in Creative Writing at Lenoir-Rhyne University in 2017 at the age of 82. He wrote a novel exploring the social impact of incarceration on families and communities, memoirs for his family, and a volume of poetry, Last Horizon, which he published in 2021.
John is survived by his beloved wife Marjorie; by their daughter Anne (Jeff) Imes and children Emily and Allison; by their daughter Elizabeth (Brian) Fuller and children Gwenyth (Zachary) Blackburn, Aynsley, and Tristan; and by their son John Hickman Jr. (Mary). He is also survived by a great-grandson, Gwenyth’s son Clark.
A memorial service in celebration of John’s life will be held at 2:00pm on Saturday, July 22, at Trinity Episcopal Church in downtown Asheville with a reception to follow.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to ABCCM’s Transformation Village (online at abccm.org or by mail to 20 20th St, Asheville NC 28806) or to All Souls Counseling Center (online at allsoulscounseling.org or by mail to 35 Arlington Street, Asheville NC 28801).
Groce Funeral Home’s Lake Julian team is assisting the family.
Services
Celebration of Life: July 22, 2023 2:00 pm
Trinity Episcopal Church
60 Church Street
Asheville, NC 28801
(828) 253-9361
http://www.trinityasheville.org
Reception: July 22, 2023 3:00 pm
Room: Tuton Hall
Trinity Episcopal Church
60 Church Street
Asheville, NC 28801
(828) 253-9361
http://www.trinityasheville.org
Funeral Home Assisting The Family:
Groce Funeral Home at Lake Julian
72 Long Shoals Road
Arden, NC 28704
(828)687-3530
http://www.grocefuneralhome.com
Dear John,
Thank you for following your heart and becoming a writer in classes at Lenoir-Rhyne. It was a joy to open up the world of poems and stories to you. It was a delight to watch you light up when you had a new poem or story to share. Yes, your first paper was a chart, but we got to stunningly thoughtful and reflective essays and poems so swiftly. You brought your bright spirit to every class. You showered your fellow writers with enthusiasm for all we were working on.
Robert Frost says “Poetry is a preparation for death.” The stark statement haunts me always. He also says “Poetry is a way of grabbing life by the throat.” (At least I am pretty sure it’s Frost.) They go together so perfectly. We all know Thoreau wanted to live “deliberately.” I think you got all those guys beat. You traveled in words into the blazing heart of life. You left no memory unexplored for all the meaning a moment can hold. You gazed into the abyss and found it full of stories to pass along to your amazing family. You were healing all the way to the thing they call an end. I struggle with that as I know thousands others who love you do. The greatest gift of creative imagination is it’s power over reality. The Romantics whose poems thrilled you for their engagement with loss and mystery, were practiced at seeing through little n nature into something far vaster. Into capital N nature. And that’s where I’m placing you. In all of it. All of us. Soaring like wind. Making music with all your heart and compassion.
There’s little I wouldn’t give for one more conversation you begin with “I have to tell you about —.” One more plot to change the world. One more hug. One more joke that sends us both away laughing. One more cartoon in my email. One more challenge to make things better. I’ll always try. I’ll always try to live up to the great and wondrous privilege of having a friend like you.
If you write a new poem, send it along. I’ll be listening.
With so much love and gratitude,
So so very much,
Love,
Laura
We are so sorry for your loss! Our thoughts and prayers are with you and your family! ❤️🙏 The Chilson’s
what wonderful memories we Gentlings have of John and his family.. Hiking, camping, being at the beach.. such a good man.. our world was so much better with him in it.. rest in peace
May you rest in peace on the arms of our Lord.
Jim and Jan Aleksa
Many of my fondest childhood memories were made at the Hickman home on Marlborough Road. Mrs. Hickman, Lissa, Anne, and John, I am so sorry for the loss of your awesome dad and husband. I will keep you all in my thoughts and prayers.