John & Wilma (Probst) Hicks of Neodesha, Kansas

I (Kerry Elkins) grew up in Neodesha in the 1950's and early '60's. My father pumped gasoline at the Little Bear Oil Company so we were not poor, but money was tight. At the age of 8 I found that I could make money by selling Grit newspapers door-to-door or by ordering greeting cards and selling them by the box to people in the south side neighborhood. Even at that age, I recognized an 'easy touch' when I got to the Hicks residence. I had to make sure that I had at least a box or two of the religious oriented cards before I knocked on their door. Sometimes Mister Hicks would answer the door and I remember him decked out in his painters outfit. Other times his wife, Wilma (the easy touch) would answer, but if I was really lucky, Lavonne or her sister Welcome would answer the door first.

I was always invited in and we would chat before I opened up my little bag of cards. People could also order boxed cards and I would bring those around when they came in. One way or the other, Mrs. Hicks would buy a box or two of cards from me and I would go away knowing I was soon to be a rich man. Thank heavens for the likes of Wilma Hicks, Dorthea Sutherland and Lavera Cook!

All these years I thought that Mr. Hicks painted houses and buildings for people, which I guess he did. But he was also an accomplished artist with canvas and oils. If I had attended the First Church of God where the Hicks' worshiped I probably would have known better, since he painted the beautiful scene that hung over the Baptistery in the church. Little did I realize the painting in the living room at the Hicks home was also one of his works of art. Their daughter Lavonne has sent me some photographs of his paintings, and they can be seen below. She reports he once purchased fruit from Stafford Grocery and painted a still-life of it, then proceeded to eat the fruit.

Wilma (Probst) Hicks came from Illinois, and after a short stint at college in Indiana, and another traveling with her sister Bernice singing at revivals, married John Hicks on June 30, 1940. I saw her so often I thought she was either a nurse (the hospital was next door) or worked at the school. It turns out that she was always volunteering to help out whenever someone was needed to fix something or cook something or to help out. Her daughter Welcome remembers the big Fund Raising Chili Suppers we had at South School, often with Madeline Riddle in charge. Her mother usually ended up cooking a huge pot of beans. They would add it all together and put on a big spread. We kids had to go door-to-door selling tickets.

Welcome adds: "My mother wasn't a nurse. She was a homemaker and a very good one. We were poor and had to work hard, but that's what made us what we are today. Both of our parents were active in the church. We thought at the time we were deprived of a lot of things, but never in the department of Love. They taught us so much."

I will finish by noting that Mr. Hicks was a superb gardener. Lavonne sent me an article about the tomato plants that John had staked so high they could pick them from their second story window. They were both generous to a fault, and I suspect they gave away as much of the garden as they ate. I also have a picture of them taking one of their bouquets to decorate the church on Sunday. What they had they shared with others, even if it was only time or enough money to buy a box of cards from that pesky kid up the street.

Lavonne and I spent many hours playing checkers at South School during the noon breaks, since neither of our churches allowed us to dance, play cards, play games with dice, or do anything that might lead us down that path to eternal damnation. It looks like we all survived!

I hope you can see the love Lavonne and Welcome hold for their parents. I was honored to know them both. Please CLICK on the pictures below to see the full versions: