Obituary of Beverly A. Hickey

Beverly A. Hickey, 84, passed away peacefully while surrounded by her children on January 30, 2022. She was born in Oneida, New York on June 12, 1937, the daughter of the late Howard and Jessie (Robinson) Jones. Bev attended Oneida High School where she was very active in the dramatic club and sang with the high school chorus and several other school and community choral groups. Bev graduated as the Salutatorian of the Class of 1955 and began to pursue her music degree at the Crane School of Music at SUNY Potsdam. During her freshman year, she contracted polio which resulted in a long recovery. After recovering, she attended SUNY Morrisville where she earned her Associates degree and went on to earn her Bachelor’s degree from the SUNY College of Education at Albany. While in Albany, she met Joseph Hickey, of Ontario, NY. They were married in Rome on June 23, 1962 and shared a blessed union of 59 years until the time of Joe’s passing on July 10, 2021. Bev began her career teaching in the Business Technology Department at SUNY Morrisville, and later taught at Rome Free Academy, Mohawk Valley Community College, and was the Site Supervisor of the Madison-Oneida BOCES Adult Learning Center in Rome. She retired in 1999 after a fulfilling career in education. Bev was a devoted wife and mother, a humble and compassionate woman with an infectious laugh whose love for her family exceeded everything else. She cherished family gatherings and celebrations and loved to reminisce about these special times together. Bev’s life was also blessed with many special trips that often included the family. She traveled to all fifty states and throughout much of the world during her life. Other than family, Bev’s greatest passion in life was her love of music. She loved to sing with her beautiful soprano voice, dance, attend musicals and concerts, and became an accomplished clogger and clogging instructor in her retirement. Even though her dementia sadly stole her away from her family over the past several years, her love of music never faded, and, continued to provide a way for her family to remain connected with her until the time of her death. Surviving are her son Dan and his wife Elaine of Niskayuna, her son Tim and his wife Anna of Guilderland, her daughter, Teri Tallarino, of Rome, seven cherished grandchildren, Sara (Hickey) Pratt and her husband Tyler, Emily Hickey, Zachary and Thomas Tallarino, Jack, Sean, and Evan Hickey, a great grandson, Cooper Pratt, her sister-in-law, Jessie Didio, her brother-in-law, William Young, several nieces and nephews, numerous cousins, as well as her lifelong best friend, Ruth Donovan. Bev was predeceased by her beloved husband, Joe, her sister, Dolores Young, and brothers-in-law, Thomas A. Hickey and Frank Didio. A memorial service will be held on Saturday, February 12, 2022 at 1100 am at Nunn and Harper Funeral Home, 418 North George Street, Rome NY. In lieu of flowers, as a breast cancer survivor, Bev’s wish was to please consider donating to Roswell Park Alliance Foundation, P.O. Box 631, Buffalo, NY 14240. Arrangements have been entrusted to Nunn and Harper Funeral Home, Inc., 418 N. George St., Rome.