Frank Hicks, 86, succumbs to injuries

Francis H. Hicks, 86, of Mountain Home, passed on peacefully in the company of his family and loved ones on Saturday, Feb. 5, 2011, at a Meridian hospital.

A rosary will be held at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 9, at Our Lady of Good Counsel, in Mountain Home. The funeral mass will be held at 10 a.m. on Thursday, Feb. 10, at Our Lady of Good Counsel. Burial will follow with military honors at Mountain View Cemetery in Mountain Home. Arrangements are under the direction of Rost Funeral Home, McMurtrey Chapel.

Frank was born on Christmas Day, 1924, in a farmhouse in Twin Falls County.

He devoted his life with passion to God, his family, his profession and his community.

He compassionately and quietly performed acts of kindness to those in need.

He grew up on a farm and attended Saint Edwards Catholic Grade School and graduated from Twin Falls High School in 1942.

He spent one year at the University of Idaho when he decided to join the United States Marine Corps to serve his county during World War II. The Marine Corps ordered him to the University of Notre Dame where he graduated with honors receiving a bachelor's of law degree. He also attended the University of Edinburgh in Edinburgh, Scotland.

He practiced law in Boise from 1949 to 1957, during which time he met the love of his life, Barbara J. Nicholson. They were married in Boise on June 20, 1953, at Sacred Heart Catholic Church.

Frank and Barbara started their family in Boise and soon realized they wanted to live in a small community. In 1957, they moved to Mountain Home where he opened a law practice with Barbara as his legal secretary.

Frank always found time while building his law practice and raising his family to take an active role in civic and political activities.

He served at various levels of government beginning shortly after moving to Mountain Home. He was Elmore County Prosecuting Attorney twice and was city attorney in Mountain Home, Glenns Ferry and Atlanta.

He also served two years as an Elmore County Commissioner and was a member of the board of directors for the County's Community Action Program.

In the early 1960s he was a charter member and chairman of the board of directors for Idaho Legal Aid. In 1979, he was appointed by Gov. Evans to the Idaho State Board of Pharmacy, the board's first public member. He served until 1988.

In 1972 he was president of the Mountain Home Chamber of Commerce, then became a member of the Military Affairs Committee.

He was a member of the Elmore County Historical Foundation, Friends of the Library, American Legion, Knights of Columbus and the Idaho State Bar.

He was a charter member and director of High Reachers, Inc., an organization dedicated to helping handicapped adults.

He served on the Idaho State Bar Ethic's Committee and received an award for outstanding service. He was also honored in 1989 for his work with the Pro-Bono Program.

In 2009 he was recognized for 60 years in the practice of law by the Idaho State Bar for "rendering conscientious and meritorious service to the Bench, Bar and the Citizenry of the State of Idaho."

Frank's family will fondly remember him as a true Christian who showed love and kindness to all he knew.

There were many things that brought him joy, including time he spent in Featherville with family and friends.

He loved tending his roses and reciting Shakespeare, Kipling and Frost, among others.

He loved the sound of children's laughter, baking apple pies, Notre Dame football, watching his children and grandchildren succeed, chatting with his sister Catherine on the phone and relatives "across the pond," limericks, reading, hunting with buddies and his faithful dog, Flush, lemon drops for his great-grandchildren, "roughing it in the wilds of Idaho," and one-on-one conversations over a beer or a cup of tea and spending time with his loving companion, Betty, during the past eight years.

He said many times, "I want to live life at the side of the road and be a friend to all mankind" and that he did.

Frank is survived by his son, George, and his wife, Mary Ann Hicks, of Mountain Home, daughter Mary Susan "Susie" and her husband, Steve Colthorp, of Mountain Home, son Jim and his wife, Nancy Hicks, of Boise, son Tom Hicks of Boise, daughter Libby and her husband, Chic Dohoney, of California, sister Catherine Lang of Twin Falls, 13 grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorials be sent to the Mountain Home Library, 790 N. 10th East St., Mountain Home, ID 83647, or the Elmore County Historical Museum, 180 S. 3rd East St., Mountain Home, ID 83647.