William Thomas Hicks

1931 - 2021

William Thomas Hicks
April 10, 1931 - July 30, 2021
Resident of Walnut Creek, CA
The family of William T. Hicks is saddened to announce his passing on July 30, 2021. His last days were spent surrounded by family. Bill, a long-term resident of Rossmoor, was born in Pittsburgh, PA to Frederick T. Hicks and Edith Williamson Hicks, and had one older sister, June L. Hicks. Growing up in Detroit, MI, he received a scholarship to attend the University of Michigan where he graduated Phi Beta Kappa. He earned his PhD in Physical Chemistry and was a postdoctoral research fellow at UC Berkeley.
He worked for Dupont De Nemours in the Pigments Department in Wilmington, DE and in Electronics in Niagara Falls, NY and Sun Valley, CA conducting research, providing customer service and traveling internationally.
While attending UC Berkeley he met his wife, Joy Sandner. They created a loving life together working as equal partners and raising their four daughters. Bill was a quiet, patient, intellectually curious and dedicated man, who loved his family deeply and expressed his gratitude often. In addition to music, art, travel, camping, reading, and keeping connections with friends, his years were spent happily sharing time and ideas with his daughters. Together they built train sets, a TV and radios, and a photographic darkroom. Through experiences such as these he instilled in them the importance of doing, learning, and thinking for themselves. This continued as the family grew to include six grandchildren and two step grandchildren.
Responsibility in civic society was a value he deeply held and transmitted to his family. He was active in Americans United for Separation of Church and State, supported Planned Parenthood, and belonged to the Unitarian Universalist Church.
He is survived by his wife of over 65 years, his daughters Alison (Kutay Ustuner), Sara (Russell Kilday-Hicks), Katy (Sam Cohen) and Amy (Jacopo De Nicola), grandchildren Emre, Liam, Eda, Amy, Rachel, and Ziri, and step grandchildren Shannon (Kilday) Gagne and Matthew Kilday and their spouses and children. Bill was cherished and appreciated by his family and friends.
The family suggests making a contribution in honor of his life to Americans United for Separation of Church and State, Planned Parenthood, or the Mount Diablo Unitarian Universalist Church.


View the online memorial for William Thomas Hicks