1951-2026
Marilyn Jo Hicks, 74, of Arkansas City, KS passed away Tuesday, May 12, 2026 at her home.
Celebration of life services will be held at 2:00 PM Tuesday, May 26, 2026 at the Shelley Family Funeral Home of Arkansas City. Private graveside services will follow. Memorial contributions may be made to the Cowley County Humane Society; donations may be left in the care of the funeral home.
Marilyn was born on July 29, 1951, in Winfield, KS to parents Wayne and Margaret (Casey) Stout. She graduated from Harper High School in 1969. On August 30, 1970, she was united in marriage to the love of her life, Charles Hicks, in Harper. The couple moved to Ark City, and she became a homemaker and enjoyed raising her children. Later in life, she worked at Rubbermaid, and then received her A&P license through Cowley College and worked at GE for over 20 years in quality control. In high school, she was a baton twirler with the color guard; she enjoyed reading fantasy novels, sewing, playing solitaire, and other computer games, and was a member of Beta Sigma Phi of Ark City. But most of all, she loved caring for everyone in her family including her dog Taz and her cat Sparta.
Marilyn is survived by her children, Damien Hicks, Samantha Biddle, (Jeremy Biddle), Amanda Hicks, (Jeremy Stickel), and Tyler Hicks, grandchildren Jared, (Octavia), Wyatt, (Payton), Jillian, Riley, Roman, Shelby, and Morgan, great-grandchildren Joshua and Atticus.
She is preceded in death by her parents, husband, and daughter Heather Hicks, great-grandchild Ace, and brothers Gary Stout and Michael Stout.
