Clarence Alfred Chicks, 96, of Gresham, passed away peacefully on Saturday, June 14, 2014, at his home surrounded by his loving family.
Clarence was the oldest living member of the Stockbridge-Munsee Band of Mohican Indians and one of only two surviving tribal members who served in World War II. He was a man of great faith in God, a son, brother, husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, friend, neighbor and patriot who touched the lives of countless people across multiple generations and never harbored a bad thought nor spoke an ill word about anyone he ever met.
Clarence was born on July 27, 1917, in Red Springs to the late Harry and Alice (Davids) Chicks. He was united in marriage in 1946 to Sarah Wanda Miller, who preceded him in death in 1959. Clarence was a lifelong member of the Immanuel Mohican Lutheran Church in Red Springs, attended the Mission School and later graduated from the Haskell Indian Institute in Lawrence, Kansas, before answering the call of duty and enlisting in the Navy during World War II. He served in both the Atlantic and Pacific Theaters aboard a destroyer escort, the U.S.S. Bivin.
In addition to working in a lumber camp and building stone fences with his father, his career included working for the Bureau of Indian Affairs and Delco Electronics, where the guidance system for the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo space programs were built. After his retirement he embarked upon a second career, building and remodeling homes. Clarence was an active cross-country skier and loved to ride his bike and often bicycled from Milwaukee to Red Springs in a single day, having made his last trip at the age of 80.
Clarence is survived by three children, Susan (Marc) Wojiciechowski, Terry Chicks and Robert (Rose) Chicks; grandson, Nathan (Jamie) Chicks Wojiciechowski; a great-grandson, Eliot Chicks Wojiciechowski; a brother-in-law, Floyd Hartwig; two sisters-in-law, Rita Chicks and Clarice Chicks; many nieces and nephews; and a special friend, Anita Hashbarger.
In addition to his wife and parents, Clarence was preceded in death by a daughter, Marjorie Jean Chicks; his in-laws, Aubyn and Tressie Miller; nine siblings, John, Stanley, Calvin, Arminta, Henry, Sheldon, David, Aldine, Katherine; and brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law, Dale Miller, Shirley Koeller and Valda Hartwig.
Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Wednesday, June 18, 2014, at the Immanuel Mohican Lutheran Church, Gresham, with the Rev. Roland Golz officiating. Burial will be in the Red Springs Cemetery with military rites conducted by the Gresham American Legion Post 390 and the Mohican Veterans. Visitation will be held at the Swedberg Funeral Home in Gresham on Tuesday from 4-8 p.m. and at the church on Wednesday from 10 a.m. until the time of the service. A memorial fund has been established for the Immanuel Mohican Lutheran Church.
The family wishes to acknowledge and thank Clarence’s caregiver, Cheryl Pieper, ThedaCare Hospice Team 5 and all those who held him in their hearts and prayers.
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