Orvin Hicks

Torrington, WY . . . . Funeral services for ORVIN LEE HICKS, 80, will be held on Tuesday, December 16, 208 at 11:00 am at the United Methodist Church with the Reverend Ora Dailey officiating. Masonic services will be conducted by Torrington Masonic Lodge #29 AF & AM with Military grave side rites. Burial will be at Valley View Cemetery. Visitation will be held on Monday, from 3pm to 7pm at the Colyer Funeral Home Chapel and at the church. Orvin died on December 12, 2008 at his home in Torrington. Memorials, in Orvin's name, may be directed to either the Scottish Rite Language Disorder Clinic for Children; Prairie Haven Hospice; or to the Torrington United Methodist Church. Funeral arrangements are under the direction of the Colyer Funeral Home. Orvin was born on August 11, 1928 in Blackwell, Oklahoma to Henry and Leona (Robertson) Hicks. He grew up on a farm west of Blackwell and attended school grades 1 thru 8 at Cooper and Lonetree Country Schools and then grades 9 thru 12 at Blackwell High School. Orvin went on to graduate from OSU with a Bachelors Degree in Agriculture in 1950. He then worked on the family farm until his induction into the Army in December. He attended basic training in the Second Armor Division at Ft. Hood, Texas and trained in the Ranger Cadry from 6 to 7 months before being deployed overseas to Korea where he served as SFC in the AUS ARMOR BRANCH. Orvin was awarded the Korean Service Medal with one Bronze Camp Star, the United Nation Service Medal, and the Purple Heart. He served in Company C 89th Tank Battalion of the US Army and was honorably discharged from the service on November 29, 1952. Orvin then went to work in refinery construction until June of 1953 when he went to work for Halliburton Oilfield Services in Cushing, Oklahoma. His oilfield career spanned 33 years with the last 16 and a half years spent working overseas. Orvin worked in the Cushing, Oklahoma, and the Worland and Powell, Wyoming, and Sterling, Colorado areas in the US; and in Nigeria, Italy, Iran, and Greece as well as The United Kingdom. Orvin was field supervisor over the Italian Sicilian Operations for Halliburton and he taught in the England training school and later became Director of the Halliburton Eastern Hemisphere Oilfield Training School. After returning to the United States in 1986, Orvin lived in Torrington with his wife, Dorothy. He worked for the Goshen County Assessors Office; carried US mail on the Lingle-Veteran Rural Route for 9 years; and mowed lawns in his spare time! He loved to fish; plant and care for his garden; and he was meticulous with his yard work. He married Betty McIntyre in 1955 and to that union was born four sons: Bruce, Larry, Kelly, and Barry. The couple later divorced. On June 24, 1970, Orvin married Dorothy M. Martin of Yoder, Wyoming. Orvin's affiliation with the Methodist Church began as a child in Nardin, Oklahoma. While traveling he attended the Church of England, the Presbyterian Church, and the First Baptist Church. His final affiliation and membership was with the Torrington United Methodist Church. Orvin was also a Master Mason in good standing in the Torrington Lodge #29 AF & AM and a member of the Wyoming Wheat Growers Association. He is survived by his wife, Dorothy of the family home; his children, Bruce (Kim) Hicks; Larry (Carolyn) Hicks; Kelly Hicks; and Barry (Dorothy) Hicks; grandchildren, Kiah, Brodie, Amanda, Charolotte, and Sabra; great granddaughter, Shelby; a sister Nina (Jimmy) Schatz; his maternal Aunt Erma(Russell) May; and many nieces, nephews, and cousins. He was preceded in death by his parents, Harry and Leona Hicks of Blackwell, Oklahoma.

Orvin Hicks

August 11, 1928 - December 12, 2008