Barbara Josephine Hicks

Barbara Josephine Hicks passed peacefully at home on Sunday, August 24, 2025. Barbara was born in Toledo, Ohio to Rita and Boniface Trabbic on April 18, 1943. She was the middle of three children, between older brother Herman (1941-2022) and little sister Shirley. Growing up, the three siblings enjoyed weekends and summers waterskiing at the lake cabin their father built on Lake Gage, outside Angola, Indiana. Barbara attended Central Catholic High School and went on to earn her Bachelors in Art Education at the Ohio State University.

Meeting the love of her life in art school, she married Robert Alan Hicks on August 8, 1969. She taught art in both Arlington, Ohio and Chicago, before moving to the Orlando area in 1972. She taught art at Lyman High School to support them, while Bob started their nursery business, Contemporary Gardens in Maitland. Even after a full week of teaching, she worked alongside Bob on the weekends to grow the business. She eventually quit teaching to work at the nursery full-time, including managing the business finances. In September 1975, their first child, Michelle, was born, followed by son, Andrew, in October 1978. She was a devoted wife and mother, always putting the needs of her family above her own. She was a frequent school chaperone and volunteer, and was happy to host birthday parties and celebrations. While she balanced a busy life of working at the nursery and maintaining their homelife, Barbara always had time for her children…early days out of school to Disney World or River Country, trips to Tampa to visit her parents and go to the beach or Busch Gardens, not to mention the many hours of dance lessons and soccer practices.

In 1979, Barbara and Bob expanded their nursery business to include a second retail location of Contemporary Gardens in Lake Mary. There, they expanded to include greenhouses to grow some of their own product. Closing the Maitland location in 1987, they kept the Lake Mary nursery while ultimately making the decision later that year to convert it to Bloom-Masters, a wholesale bedding plant nursery. Barbara continued to maintain the business finances, and even took over the running and management of Bloom-Masters from 1998-2003 when Bob took a vice-president position with Park Seed Company in Greenwood, SC.

Barbara loved to travel with Bob and many of their longtime friends, especially river cruises throughout Europe. Some of their many adventures included trips to China, Tanzania, Southeast Asia and Russia. Both shared a love of the UK and frequently traveled to England and Ireland, reveling in the quaintness of the countryside…pubs, sheep, B&Bs and BBC murder mysteries. She also enjoyed traveling in the US, most notably to Maine. Barbara was avid collector, and loved the search for…seashells, stones, pinecones…whatever was indigenous to the area. Suitcases often came home from trips overweight with her treasures. She especially loved the beach, where she and Bob purchased a place on Florida's east coast in Melbourne in the early 2000's. She enjoyed walking the beach shelling, and looking for new turtle tracks.

Barbara was a loyal and loving mother, grandmother and friend. Most of her friendships spanned decades, even back to high school and college. She never missed an opportunity to be an adoring Mimmi, spending countless hours in the pool, at the park and generally loving on her grandchildren. Her bright smile and kind nature will be missed by all who were blessed to know her. She leaves behind to cherish her memory, husband Bob Hicks, daughter Michelle Feinberg (Andrew), son Andrew Hicks (Anne), grandchildren Ben and Sofie Feinberg and Grayson and Wade Hicks, and sister Shirley Miller (Hal).

In lieu of flowers, please consider contributing to GYN research at AdventHealth Foundation.

http://give.adventhealth.com/BarbaraHicks