Donald M. Hicks

Don M. Hicks, 80, of Bellingham, WA, passed away on May 3, 2023 after a brief battle with cancer. Don was born to Elmer and Veronica (Rataezyk) Hicks on September 16, 1942 in Tacoma, WA.

After graduating from Lincoln High School, Don attended Washington State University, where he earned his engineering degree and became a lifelong Cougars fan. Invited to be one of WSU’s first computer science students, Don found his niche in the world of computer programming. A lifelong learner, Don also went on to complete two Master’s Degrees at Western Washington University.

His first job was at Boeing in Seattle, WA. As time went on, Don felt pressured to work with Boeing’s military division during the Vietnam War and chose, instead, to relocate to Bellingham, WA, where he worked as a computer systems analyst for Western Washington University until he retired in 2003.

Don was an avid outdoorsman from an early age. He loved camping, hiking, fishing, kayaking (he built his own), and cross-country skiing. He was one of the first members of the Komo Kulshan chapter of the Washington Native Plant Society in the 1970s, and served as the chapter’s treasurer until 2014. An enthusiastic member of the Nooksack Nordic Ski Club, Don enjoyed many years of cross-country skiing and winter trips with the group. Don played several instruments, and was a huge fan of early rock-n-roll. Don always said that rock-n-roll started with The Fabulous Wailers, the Tacoma area group, and ended when the Beatles broke up.

Don is survived by his wife of fifty-seven years, Anna (Scott) Avalon, their daughter Laura (Avalon-Hicks) Roys and her husband David, grandsons Mihael “Kai” Roys and Alan Roys, and his sister, Ann Hicks.

Please join us in remembering Don on Friday, May 19 at 2:00pm at Westford Funeral Home in Bellingham.