George Brown ‘Jerry’ Hickey, 91, passed away Friday, March 23, 2018, at his residence at Westminster-Canterbury in Virginia Beach, Va.
He was born Dec. 17, 1926, in Nashville, Tenn., the son of George Lynn Hickey and Marcella Brown Hickey. The early years of his life were lived in Ardmore, Tenn., where his parents operated the Hickey Five & Dime store and later Hickey’s florist shop. He attended Morgan School in Petersburg, Tenn., and entered the U.S. Army during World War II.
Mr. Hickey was sent by the Army to Ole Miss and North Georgia Military Academy to study engineering as part of the Army Specialized Training Program. As the war progressed and the need for engineers declined, he went to Army Airborne School at Fort Benning, Ga., and became a paratrooper. Following the war, he attended from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn., and graduated in 1949. He was also called up for the Korean Conflict. He went on to enjoy a successful career at the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Washington, D.C., where he retired as director of personnel.
Mr. Hickey was preceded in death by his parents and his only brother, Charles Edwin “Buddy” Hickey; three wives, Gae Nell Harper, Betty Ruth Johnson Selinka and Jacqueline Hanifan Dolly; and one son, Richard Michael Hickey.
He is survived by four sons, George Douglas Hickey, and his wife, Judy, of Seneca Rocks, W.Va., Steven H. Hickey, and his wife, Terri Petchul-Hickey, of Virginia Beach, Va., John Selinka of Charlotte, N.C., and Anthony Selinka, and his wife, Lynne, of Carlsbad, Calif.; four grandsons, Richard and Daniel Hickey and Tyler and Travis Selinka; and one granddaughter, Christine Fewell.
Mr. Hickey loved his time at Westminster-Canterbury. He often referred to it “as his home.” He had many friends living there and thoroughly enjoyed the staff during his five years of residence. Mr. Hickey greatly appreciated Lisa Bell, FNP, for her interest in his health and welfare. He also had a very special friend, Ida Jean Schroy, whom he and his family think the world of.
George Hickey was a kind, thoughtful, loving man who will be dearly missed.
The family will receive friends from noon to 1 p.m., Thursday, March 29, at Hollomon-Brown Funeral Home, Great Neck Chapel, 1264 N. Great Neck Road, Virginia Beach. A funeral service will follow visitation at the funeral home chapel. Interment will follow in Rosewood Memorial Park, Virginia Beach. A memorial service will be held at 10 a.m., Saturday, April 7, at Westminster-Canterbury with a reception following services.
Share online condolences with the family at hollomon-brown.com.
