Captain John L. Hickman, USMC (Ret.), died on October 13, 2016 at the Remington in Hamilton. He was born at Logansport, Indiana on July 3, 1939, and graduated from Logansport High School in 1957. John attended the U. of Indiana from 1957 to 1958. In January 1959 John saw the light and enlisted in the USMC for four years; upon separation he continued his good judgment and enrolled at the U. of Montana. While at the University he was a Sigma Nu and graduated with a BA in history. He was commissioned in 1966 and went on active duty. John had three tours in Vietnam, one at sea and two ashore. Among his awards are a Bronze Star with a combat “V” and two Purple Hearts. His first Purple Heart was the result of a mine that detonated under his tracked vehicle and he was knocked unconscious for seven days. This head injury contributed to his death almost 50 years later; he was knocked unconscious on two occasions about five years ago and his decline was rapid.
John knew Marilee and Jim Shockley for 45 years and joined them in the Bitterroot in 1989. John worked at their office until Marilee retired in 2008. He was a member of the Shockley family. As all of his friends and family knew, John was an avid fisherman, a nice person, and a bonafide “character.”
John is survived by siblings Judy Williamson, Charles, Warren (Butchie), William (Crow) Hickman and their children and grandchildren. All of the foregoing siblings live in Indiana except William who lives in Tennessee.
Donations in John’s memory can be sent to The Bitter Root Humane Association, P.O. Box 57, Hamilton MT 59840. Condolences can be emailed to mt.marilee@yahoo.com or mailed to P.O. Box 608, Victor MT 59875.