HILL CITY- Mary Evelyn Ford Hicks passed away early on December 12, 2013, in Rapid City, South Dakota. She was 92 years old, and will be deeply missed by her three children, eight grandchildren, five great-grandchildren, and many relatives and friends. Mary was born on July 21, 1921, in a ranch house on the O.G. Ranch, near Hill City, South Dakota. She was the second child of Galen and Marcia Ford. Mary's childhood was filled with adventure, including riding horses, hiking and camping in the Black Hills, and learning to swim in local ponds and lakes. She graduated from Hill City High School in 1938 and completed the two year coursework at Spearfish Normal School (now Black Hills State University.) Following graduation, she taught first through sixth grade students in a one-room schoolhouse near Wall, SD. The next year she taught primary grades in the town of Wall. Mary moved to Los Angeles soon after the United States entered World War Two. She enlisted in the Army WACS (Women's Army Corps) in March, 1943, and was stationed at MacDill Field, in Tampa, Florida. Mary earned the rank of Sergeant. During her time there she met and married John Loren Hicks, a Tech Sergeant in the Army Air Corps. John's hometown was Hillsboro, Ohio. After the war ended, the newlyweds moved to Los Angeles, and started a family. They had three children: Judy (now Lang) was born in 1946, Jackie (now Davidson) in 1948, and John in 1952. Before John was born, Mary lost her dear husband in a tragic accident. Mary now had three children to raise and a mortgage to pay. She returned to college, earning her Bachelor's degree in 1956, and began teaching in the Los Angeles Unified School District. She went on to earn a Master's Degree in Education from California State University, Los Angeles. She taught primary grade students for 20 years. Mary and her family were active members of the La Crescenta Baptist Church all the years she lived in California. She taught Sunday School, sang in the choir, and attended many Bible study classes. In 1976 she took early retirement in order to return to her home in South Dakota, to the family ranch and fulfill a lifelong dreamto be a rancher. Like her father and uncle before her, Mary raised registered Herefords. With the help of good neighbors and many wonderful "hired hands", including her nephew Gary Boone, Mary actively worked on and managed the ranchnow called Ford Mountain Ranchfrom 1976 to 2005, when ill health forced her to retire. She moved to Fountain Springs, a health care facility in Rapid City in February, 2010. Her years there were filled with visits from her children and grandchildren, her nephew Gary Boone, and friends from Hill City, including many from The Little White Church. Mary passed away peacefully on December 12, 2013, under the loving and attentive care of the Regional Hospice of the Hills nurses and the wonderful staff at Fountain Springs. Her life verse was "Commit your way unto the Lord and trust in Him and He will bring it to pass." Psalm 37:5 Funeral Services will be at 11:00 a.m. on Thursday, December 19, 2013 at the Little White Church in Hill City with Rev. Ron Walker officiating. Visitation will be for one hour prior to the services. Burial with military honors provided by the Rushmore VFW Post 1273 and the South Dakota Army National Guard will be at Black Hills National Cemetery near Sturgis.