John C. Hicks, 75, of Princeton passed away at his home on October 24, 2013.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Dr. James M. and Madalyn Savage Hicks.

Although born in Kansas City, MO, he spent his childhood in Huntington, Indiana, where he graduated high school in 1956. He attended Tulane University before serving in the U.S. Army military police. After discharge from the Army, he earned a Bachelor’s degree from Huntington College, where he played collegiate basketball. He went on to teach both high school mathematics and physics in Ft. Wayne, Indiana, before attending Indiana University School of Law in Bloomington.

After earning his Doctorate of Jurisprudence, John moved to Indianapolis where he met and married his wife, formerly Connie Stevens. He opened his first private practice in Indianapolis, while also serving as a Marion County deputy prosecutor. After relocating to Gibson County, John was appointed Gibson County Court Judge by Governor Otis Bowen, filling a judicial vacancy in 1979. Following his term as judge, he opened a private practice in Princeton and served hundreds of clients throughout his career. He retired in 2010. He was a Mason and Past Master of Columbia Lodge 450.

John had a lifelong passion for learning, an insatiable curiosity, and entrepreneurial spirit that took him across the globe. He was fiercely competitive, often theatrical, and enjoyed advocating for his clients in the courtroom. He also relished competing in basketball, tennis, golf, swimming, backgammon, war gaming and cards. In order to pass on his competitive spirit to his daughter, he coached and encouraged her through several years of competitive swimming.

His intellectual pursuits and hobbies varied from year to year. He and his wife enjoyed treasure hunting, collecting and selling, and together, they always enjoyed attending auctions and sales. John and Connie also shared a passion for European travel, and visited England, Scotland, Belgium, and France throughout their 40-year marriage.

John always enjoyed talking with and meeting new people from diverse backgrounds, and he had a natural ability to communicate and make people feel comfortable in his presence. But most of all, John enjoyed his family. He was a loving husband, father and grandfather, always generous, and quick to share his love of learning, his passions, and his curiosity with those he loved best.

Surviving John are his wife, Connie; daughter Heather L. Hicks and her husband Nathan Amsbury, grandchildren Sophia, Mary and Freyja Amsbury; and his mother-in-law, Margaret Stevens all of Princeton.

A Celebration of Life service is scheduled at Colvin Funeral Home, Princeton, on Thursday, November 7 at 6:00pm with refreshments served afterwards. The family requests that those in attendance bring their written special memory of John for the family's keepsake.