Thomas Weems Hicks, 84, of Dawsonville, died Nov. 21, 2014.

He graduated Dublin High School in 1948 and attended Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College.

In 1949 he began service in the United States Air Force during the Korean War.

He graduated from the War College at Maxwell AFB, Montgomery, Ala. in 1951, becoming the senior academic instructor at Lackland AFB in San Antonio, Texas.

In 1955 he began his career in the insurance industry in Atlanta, underwriting for five national insurance carriers until he began his own independent agency in 1963. He retired in 1998.

A lifelong passion for hunting and fishing, his favorite thing to do was teach everyone to fish. He was an inventor, holding four patents for products used while fishing.

He was a member of the Dawsonville Lions Club, and a Tom Bingham award winner.

He enjoyed gardening, beekeeping, and was a member of the Forsyth Beekeepers Club.

His parents, Judge Palmer and Margaret Hicks of Dublin; sister, Margaret "Mollie" Munn of Decatur; and brother, James Hicks of Dublin, preceded him in death.

Survivors include his wife of 58 years, Mary Elizabeth Hicks; son and daughter-in-law, Thomas Gregory and Donna Elaine Hicks; daughters, Charlene Mary and Gail Lynn Hicks; brothers, Robert E. Hicks, William P. Hicks, John H. Hicks; sister, Ida Jane Bailey; beloved friend, David K. Bozzi; nieces and nephews, Amy E. Parker, Margaret M. Hiers, George C. Munn, Carol Jean "Bunny" Pearce, Frederick Wayne Pearce, Patricia Ann Holland, Mary Martha Dekalb Hicks, Conrad Hicks, Nancy N. Bradley, Edward "Ted" Hicks, John Hicks, William Hicks, Jim Hicks, Mark Hicks, Adam Hicks, Winnie Huff and Palmer Bailey; various other relatives also survive.

A memorial service to celebrate his life will be held at 2 p.m. Dec. 6 at Trinity Church, 2685 Steve Tate Road, Marble Hill, GA 30148.

In lieu of flowers, donations are requested made in his memory to the Dawsonville Lions Charities Inc., P.O. Box 408, Dawsonville, GA 30534.