Winston Whitehead Hickman Obituary (1922 - 2015)

Winston Whitehead Hickman peacefully passed away of natural causes in his home in South Jordan, UT on December 2, 2015. He was 93. Winston was born on October 27, 1922 in Ogden, Utah to Leonidas and Winifred Whitehead Hickman. While attending Weber College, the United States entered WWII, and Winston joined the Air Force Reserves. Before leaving for training, he proposed to his sweetheart, Verla Bingham; less than two months later, as the reality of active service as a B-24 bomber pilot grew closer, he rang Verla from Stillwater, OK and asked if she wanted to just come out and marry him already, which she did on May 8, 1943. Right before he headed overseas in January 1945, Verla telegrammed she was pregnant; he went on to fly fourteen missions over Italy and Austria, returning home in September 1945 to Verla and their firstborn, Larry, whom he'd hoped but couldn't have known he'd live to hold and cherish. Upon his return from the war, he studied mechanical engineering at the University of Utah, graduating with his B.S. in 1948. He was hired that year by Phillips Petroleum and worked as an engineer in Borger, TX from 1948 to 1951. He then transferred with Phillips to work at the National Reactor Testing Station (now known as INL) near Idaho Falls, Idaho, where the first nuclear submarine reactor was developed. He worked there until 1987, when he retired as Manager of Nuclear Waste Management. During their years together, he and Verla made a blessed life, as three more children joined Larry—Craig, Debbie, and Mark. Winston was not only a devoted husband and father but eager servant of his community and church—a Lion's Club member, chairman of the Pioneer Day Parade in Idaho Falls and of the LDS Dance Festival in Pocatello, ID, and leader in bringing the Blue Angels to Idaho Falls for the 4th of July. In the LDS Church, he served as a bishop, high councilor, and temple worker. In later years, he served an LDS mission with Verla in Sacramento, CA, after which they settled down for many years in Springville, UT and then, briefly, South Jordan, UT, creating new circles of friends and admirers. Winston was as rigorous and vigorous a worker as you could hope to meet, a man whose toolbox was always in gleaming order, whose mantra was that a job worth doing is a job worth doing right. But his careful, callused hands were always supervised by an ever-twinkling eye, a ready and heartening smile, and constant good humor, which made the work—and everything else—light. Winston is survived by his beloved wife of seventy-two years, Verla Bingham of South Jordan, UT; his four children, Larry Hickman of Broomfield, CO; Craig Hickman of Charleston, SC; Deborah Williams of South Jordan, UT; and Mark Hickman of Chico, CA; and sixteen grandchildren and twenty-eight great-grandchildren. He is the last of his immediate family to pass on. A memorial for Winston will be held on Monday, December 7th, at the Jenkins-Soffe Funeral Chapel, 1007 W. South Jordan Parkway (10600 S), South Jordan, Utah. The viewing will begin at 10:30 am, followed by the funeral service at 12:00 pm, after which he will be buried in the Ogden City Cemetery. All are welcome to attend and celebrate his life. Funeral Home: Jenkins-Soffe South Valley 1007 W. South Jordan Pkwy. South Jordan, UT 84095