In Memoriam: Donald G. Hicks, Jr.
The George Washington Masonic National Memorial Association mourns the loss of M.W. Bro. Donald Gardner Hicks, Jr., Past President of our board of directors. He passed away on April 15, 2025, at the age of eighty-four.
He was raised in 1962 in Wamesit Lodge, in Tewksbury, Massachusetts. He served as Master there in 1970, 1971, 2000, and 2012. He was also a member or honorary member of over a dozen other lodges in Massachusetts. His activities also included the Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite. He received the 33rd degree and later served the Supreme Council, Northern Masonic Jurisdiction as Grand Senechal between 1987 and 1990.
His outstanding dedication to the Craft led to his selection for the Grand Lodge. He was the 84th Grand Master in Massachusetts, serving from 2002 to 2004.
Bro. Hicks joined the Memorial’s board in 2004, and served for many years on the Executive Committee before becoming President for the 2013–2014 term. During his term, the Memorial began its crucial, decade-long top to bottom exterior restoration project.
Don was born on December 12, 1940. He grew up in Lowell, and served as Master Councilor of Lowell Chapter, Order of DeMolay, in 1960. He married former Rainbow girl, Nancy P. Sargent, also of Lowell. Don and Nancy are the parents of Bro. Andrew G. Hicks and Karen L. Thorne, wife of Wor. Grant L. Thorne.
“When a man is asked why he became a Mason, the answer most often involves an interpersonal relationship that one man has had with another. The relationship may be with a neighbor helping a neighbor or in the workplace, at home, at church, or even at play, or working together in a community project. But in the final analysis, it is the fact that a man, who is a Mason, was exemplifying our principles in his daily life that attracted another man to our Fraternity.”—M.W. Bro. Donald G. Hicks, Jr.
