Wycliffe - Press Release

Richard and Charlene Hicks

Richard Earle Hicks, born July 13, 1962 in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa
King’s College, Briarcliff Manor, New York, BA in Mathematics, 1984
Briarcrest Bible College, Saskatchewan, Canada, diploma in Bible
MA in Linguistics, University of Texas, Arlington, 1993

Charlene Louise Persons Hicks, born November 7, 1946 in Zion, Illinois
Calvary Bible College, Kansas City, Missouri, BS in Education, 1969
MA in Linguistics, University of Texas, Arlington, 1988

Married in March 1992 in St. Charles, Minnesota

Char grew up in Arkansas, Missouri, Iowa and Minnesota where her parents served in small churches. Friends remember Char expressing gratefulness for her upbringing by hard-working parents whose values shaped her life.

Char joined Wycliffe Bible Translators in 1972, through the years serving as a teacher, administrative assistant, library consultant and translator in many different parts of the world, including Mexico, New Zealand, Asia, Germany, and the USA (Illinois, Texas and North Carolina).

“Char was determined to tackle anything,” remembers one of her roommates from her single days, “especially if someone hinted that maybe she couldn’t do it.” From teaching missionary kids in Mexico to earning her pilot’s license in North Carolina, from wallpapering to carding wool and spinning, it seemed to her friends that she would try anything and succeed. Char held a lifetime teaching certificate, an emergency medical technician certificate, a private pilot's license, and a canoeing instructor certificate. She even faced death in October 1989—meeting it courageously and winning—when she underwent brain surgery.

Rich and Char in a field of Texas bluebonnets

Her proficient secretarial skills took her to New Zealand, Asia and Germany and back to the US, causing former managers to initially discourage her from trying a new career; but she successfully earned her Masters in Linguistics. She met Rich in Dallas, Texas in 1990 while working in the linguistic library and teaching a linguistic course.

wedding photo Although Rich spent years as a missionary kid in South Africa with dual US and Canadian citizenship, colleagues remember him calling Lunenburg, Nova Scotia his home. There he became a part of the cabbage and sauerkraut production in that province, and later worked with his parents in church planting for three years. He then went on for further schooling in Saskatchewan and made an extended visit to Guatemala. It was when he was in Dallas, TX studying linguistics that he met Char. Rich joined Wycliffe Canada in 1990.

Characteristic of Rich’s unique personality, his marriage proposal was indeed one-of-a-kind. During a trip to Colorado, the lovers hiked to the top of a mountain, Rich toting a bulging backpack with unrevealed contents. Once at the summit, he excused himself for a few minutes behind some trees, dramatically reappearing decked out in a full tuxedo to kneel in style for his marriage proposal. Char was 45 and Rich 30 when they married in 1992.

singing playing a game Wycliffe colleagues have fond memories of Rich and Char serving together, rarely apart, a pair, always working as a team in whatever they did. Socially, the couple enjoyed hosting neighbors, friends and colleagues, often engaging in games around the table in the evenings. One of their favorite activities with Guyanese visitors was for Rich to pull out his guitar and Char to pass around the Wapishana songbooks for a time of singing together.

meal around the table Wapishana friends Char was a gracious hostess, a good cook, and always ready to drop whatever she was doing to receive visitors. It was obvious to all who knew Char that her greatest joys in life were to be a supportive wife to Rich and to contribute her efforts to the Wapishana language project.

Char with literacy materials “Char was people-oriented with a servant’s heart,” a long-time friend recalls. “She loved to crochet blankets for those around her. In a recent letter she had asked for more yarn so she could complete another afghan for her Wapishana friends.”

Rich and co translator A hallmark of Rich’s life—attention to detail. Linguistics was his forte; he was known as a good analyst. As a Bible translator, he had a heart for the Old Testament to accompany his focus on New Testament translation. While he worked alongside his Wapishana co-translators, he often translated or reworked the published “translation helps” for them. He dreamed that his next “assignment” would be to rewrite them all for mother tongue translators whose educational background was limited.

“No matter what the problem that faced Rich, he worked it through until it was solved, even in a fun diversion. I’ll never forget how he even wrote down step by step directions for me to get through a computer golf game that I was struggling with that he had mastered!” one of his Wycliffe colleagues mentions with a smile. Rich was an innovator; he was known to make things work even with only a few supplies.

Rich clearly loved where he lived. In recent years, colleagues who visited the Hicks at their home outside Lethem were amazed and entertained with Rich’s obvious enjoyment and fascination of the countless minutiae of the flora and fauna that surrounded them in Guyana; he knew the names of all the indigenous birds, bugs, plants, trees and topography—in at least four languages: Wapishana, Spanish, Portuguese and sometimes even in English.

Stray kittens found their way to the Hicks’ home in Guyana. Rich and Char were good foster parents: first taming wild kittens, then adopting them out to control the rat population in their friends’ homes. Although the Hicks never had children of their own, kids were drawn to them, knowing they were loved by this gentle couple who lived out peaceful, godlike character.

The Hicks’ funeral service is being organized by the local church and friends. It is expected that many Wapishanas and others from the community will attend. Burial will be in Lethem, only a 35-minute drive from where they had lived and served.


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			Richard and Charlene Hicks Richard Earle Hicks, born July 13, 1962 in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa King’s College, Briarcliff Manor, New York, BA in Mathematics, 1984 Briarcrest Bible College, Saskatchewan, Canada, diploma in Bible MA in Linguistics, University of Texas, Arlington, 1993 Charlene Louise Persons Hicks, born November 7, 1946 in Zion, Illinois Calvary Bible College, Kansas City, Missouri, BS in Education, 1969 MA in Linguistics, University of Texas, Arlington, 1988 Married in March 1992 in St. Charles, Minnesota Char grew up in Arkansas, Missouri, Iowa and Minnesota where her parents served in small churches. Friends remember Char expressing gratefulness for her upbringing by hard-working parents whose values shaped her life. Char joined Wycliffe Bible Translators in 1972, through the years serving as a teacher, administrative assistant, library consultant and translator in many different parts of the world, including Mexico, New Zealand, Asia, Germany, and the USA (Illinois, Texas and North Carolina). “Char was determined to tackle anything,” remembers one of her roommates from her single days, “especially if someone hinted that maybe she couldn’t do it.” From teaching missionary kids in Mexico to earning her pilot’s license in North Carolina, from wallpapering to carding wool and spinning, it seemed to her friends that she would try anything and succeed. Char held a lifetime teaching certificate, an emergency medical technician certificate, a private pilot's license, and a canoeing instructor certificate. She even faced death in October 1989—meeting it courageously and winning—when she underwent brain surgery. Her proficient secretarial skills took her to New Zealand, Asia and Germany and back to the US, causing former managers to initially discourage her from trying a new career; but she successfully earned her Masters in Linguistics. She met Rich in Dallas, Texas in 1990 while working in the linguistic library and teaching a linguistic course. Although Rich spent years as a missionary kid in South Africa with dual US and Canadian citizenship, colleagues remember him calling Lunenburg, Nova Scotia his home. There he became a part of the cabbage and sauerkraut production in that province, and later worked with his parents in church planting for three years. He then went on for further schooling in Saskatchewan and made an extended visit to Guatemala. It was when he was in Dallas, TX studying linguistics that he met Char. Rich joined Wycliffe Canada in 1990. Characteristic of Rich’s unique personality, his marriage proposal was indeed one-of-a-kind. During a trip to Colorado, the lovers hiked to the top of a mountain, Rich toting a bulging backpack with unrevealed contents. Once at the summit, he excused himself for a few minutes behind some trees, dramatically reappearing decked out in a full tuxedo to kneel in style for his marriage proposal. Char was 45 and Rich 30 when they married in 1992. Wycliffe colleagues have fond memories of Rich and Char serving together, rarely apart, a pair, always working as a team in whatever they did. Socially, the couple enjoyed hosting neighbors, friends and colleagues, often engaging in games around the table in the evenings. One of their favorite activities with Guyanese visitors was for Rich to pull out his guitar and Char to pass around the Wapishana songbooks for a time of singing together. Char was a gracious hostess, a good cook, and always ready to drop whatever she was doing to receive visitors. It was obvious to all who knew Char that her greatest joys in life were to be a supportive wife to Rich and to contribute her efforts to the Wapishana language project. “Char was people-oriented with a servant’s heart,” a long-time friend recalls. “She loved to crochet blankets for those around her. In a recent letter she had asked for more yarn so she could complete another afghan for her Wapishana friends.” A hallmark of Rich’s life—attention to detail. Linguistics was his forte; he was known as a good analyst. As a Bible translator, he had a heart for the Old Testament to accompany his focus on New Testament translation. While he worked alongside his Wapishana co-translators, he often translated or reworked the published “translation helps” for them. He dreamed that his next “assignment” would be to rewrite them all for mother tongue translators whose educational background was limited. “No matter what the problem that faced Rich, he worked it through until it was solved, even in a fun diversion. I’ll never forget how he even wrote down step by step directions for me to get through a computer golf game that I was struggling with that he had mastered!” one of his Wycliffe colleagues mentions with a smile. Rich was an innovator; he was known to make things work even with only a few supplies. Rich clearly loved where he lived. In recent years, colleagues who visited the Hicks at their home outside Lethem were amazed and entertained with Rich’s obvious enjoyment and fascination of the countless minutiae of the flora and fauna that surrounded them in Guyana; he knew the names of all the indigenous birds, bugs, plants, trees and topography—in at least four languages: Wapishana, Spanish, Portuguese and sometimes even in English. Stray kittens found their way to the Hicks’ home in Guyana. Rich and Char were good foster parents: first taming wild kittens, then adopting them out to control the rat population in their friends’ homes. Although the Hicks never had children of their own, kids were drawn to them, knowing they were loved by this gentle couple who lived out peaceful, godlike character. The Hicks’ funeral service is being organized by the local church and friends. It is expected that many Wapishanas and others from the community will attend. Burial will be in Lethem, only a 35-minute drive from where they had lived and served.