Brenda Hicks

Brenda Hicks was born May 28, 1961, in Abilene, Texas to parents Harley and Nancy (Maddox) Bingham.

What is a life?  Some have said that a life is like a tapestry . . . random, fabrics and patterns bound together.  The fabrics representing events, experiences, and people all combined to form that beautiful and unique life. Some of the pieces are large, some small, some bright and vibrant, while others are more subdued, some even dark.  The binding is thick and perfectly stitched in some areas and less so between other pieces. The bindings are the relationships, circumstances, and time that tied everything together.

Looking back, Brenda’s tapestry was anything but random.  As God promised in Psalm 37:23-24, her steps were ordered by the Lord.

Brenda was first and foremost a Child of God, having accepted Jesus Christ as her Savior and Lord as a teenager and then reaffirming her faith in her early 20’s. She was a student of the Bible, having read through it cover-to-cover, many times and she sought godly wisdom during month-long studies in the book of Proverbs.  She would get up at 4:30 in the morning to talk to God in prayer, often meditating on a single verse each day.

She always found it amusing others thought of her as one of the smartest people they knew.  Her family, friends, and colleagues saw Brenda as a soft spoken and caring person who always had time to listen.  She was accepting, loving, but also strong and uncompromising when it came to upholding or sharing her values. A motto she lived by, taped to her monitor at work, was ‘Extend Grace.’

Brenda loved the Lord, her family, the grandkids, reading, and puppies.  Her love for her kids and ‘littles’, the grandkids, came from the deepest parts of her heart and being ‘Mimi’ was a title she cherished.  She loved, loved, loved, loved, loved her family.  Something else about Brenda, she was known as the ‘dog whisperer’ . . . if there was a dog in the house, it would find her lap.  It was so very common to find her sitting, legs tucked under, reading a book, with a dog in her lap.

And oh, that wicked sense of humor! Brenda was revered as the master April Fool’s Day prankster at work.  During family gatherings, it was always ‘that crazy Brenda’ that came fully prepared to engage the whole group in some new and fun game that might involve wind-up toy rat races or indoor snowball fights.

She loved adventure . . . hey, she drove a bright yellow Jeep! Everywhere she went was another great opportunity to take a Segway tour, even riding down curvy and steep Lombard Steet in San Francisco with her hands in the air and steering with her feet.  And there wasn’t a zip-line in existence that she wouldn’t boldly tackle.  Brenda drove speed boats in the Icy Straits of Alaska and explored glacial ice caves wearing climbing gear and ice spikes.   She floated in the Dead Sea and dipped her feet into the Sea of Galilee where the Living Water, Jesus, walked.

Yes, Brenda’s tapestry fabric, the events and people in her life, was carefully selected by her Lord Jesus and He stitched them all together perfectly with His Gracious and Merciful Hand of Love.  Everyone who knew Brenda could see Jesus shining through her.

Over the last few months, she obediently turned to God for strength and found this verse:

1b "Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are Mine! 2 "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they will not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched, nor will the flame burn you. 3a "For I am the LORD your God, The Holy One of Israel, your Savior “[Isa 43:1b-3a NASB95]

Brenda is survived by her loving husband Patrick Hicks; son Josh Hicks and his wife Emily; daughter Meagan Sims and her husband Caleb; grandchildren Henry and Harley Sims; and brother Michael Bingham and his wife Rhonda.  She was preceded in death by her parents.

There will be a celebration of Brenda’s life at 11:00 a.m., Saturday, August 24, 2024, at Hunters Glen Baptist Church, officiated by Pastor Don Guthrie.