Richard Henry Hickey

On Friday, October 9, 2020, Richard H. Hickey of Hanson, a loving husband and father of five children and thirteen grandchildren, passed away while in Massachusetts General Hospital at the age of 79.

Born in Boston the eldest child of the late Henry E. and Dorothy M. (Smith) Hickey, he attended Boston Public Schools and graduated from South Boston High School in 1959. That same year he enlisted in the United States Air Force. During his early career he spent time overseas in Okinawa and Korea. Soon thereafter, while stationed at Otis Air Force Base on Cape Cod, he was deployed to Thailand when the 102nd Tactical Fighter Wing got the call to support the air mission over Vietnam.

He married his high school sweetheart and over the next sixty years together they traveled the United States serving in the military and in civilian life, as an inseparable team, while raising their children in Massachusetts, South Carolina, New Mexico, Alaska and North Carolina, before returning to Massachusetts.

While he was in Thailand his youngest daughter was born and upon his return to the states, he met her for the first time. He then proceeded to spend the rest of his life nurturing his wife and every one of his children, they were his proudest achievements. Coming from a military background (his father volunteered for duty in the Navy during WWII and served again for the Army during the Korean Conflict), he was especially proud that three of his five children also served in the military, one in the Army and two following his footsteps into the Air Force. His eldest grandson has continued the tradition for a fourth generation and is currently on active duty in the Navy.

In 1979 he retired from the Air Force and returned to Massachusetts with his family, residing in Canton and Whitman before settling in Hanson. Always being a well-organized individual and prudent planner, he began seeking civilian employment in the Boston area a year prior to leaving the military. His diligence reaped great reward and he accepted a position with Suburban Contract Cleaning in South Weymouth that would quickly develop into his second career, which lasted for the better part of the next forty years through the evolution of the company. He retired as Vice President of Customer Relations. Rich was a successful and well-respected businessman in the Boston area and throughout New England, developing numerous long-term friendships as a result which lasted late into his life. The loyalty of a being good friend was something he cherished and held in the highest regard.

He enjoyed spending time with his family and friends more than anything else. He had a passion for checking in on the people he loved and did so on a regular basis until a short time prior to his passing. He frequently went to the Cape and had an affinity for the beach and the ocean. His love for the ocean was rooted early in his childhood by spending time on the beaches of Boston and at Nantasket Beach and Paragon Park in Hull. He would go deep sea fishing frequently and catching fish was always secondary to his enjoyment of being out on the water.

He was an avid professional football and golf fan; additionally, he found great enjoyment in playing golf online against opponents from around country and the globe on PS4. He was also a member of the Braintree Rifle and Pistol Club where he enjoyed the company of friends and target shooting, which he discovered as a boy when he first experienced the sport with his paternal grandfather.

He is survived by his wife of over 60 years Marianne A. “Allana” Hickey of Hanson and five children: Andrew E. Hickey of Quincy; Sandra G. (Hickey) Davis PhD., of Portland, Oregon; Richard S. Hickey of Hanson; David J. Hickey and Rachael Adams of Clermont, Florida;  and Nancy A. (Hickey) Frazier and her husband Jason of Plymouth; as well as two sisters, Joanne (Hickey) Frizzell of Middleborough and Patricia (Hickey) Gorman of Norfolk. He was predeceased by three younger brothers, Michael D. Hickey of Canton, James E. Hickey of Quincy, and John B. Hickey of Stoughton. He is also survived by numerous nieces and nephews and many great-nieces and nephews.

The Hickey family wishes to extend their gratitude to the Surgical Vascular Department and the Surgical Intensive Care Unit at Massachusetts General Hospital for the exceptional dedication, expertise, and compassion, exhibited in the performance of their duties.

Visiting hours will be at the McDonald Keohane Funeral Home 809 Main Street, South Weymouth on Sunday from 3-7 p.m. The Funeral Mass will be Monday at Immaculate Conception Church in Stoughton at 11 a.m. Burial with military honors will follow in the Massachusetts National Cemetery Bourne.