Graveside Memorial Services for Linda “Kaye” Hicks, Age 77 of West Plains, Missouri, will be held on Thursday, October 29th, 2026 in The Howell Memorial Park Cemetery, Pomona, Missouri, beginning at 10:00 AM under the direction of The Robertson-Drago Funeral Home, West Plains, Missouri.
To know Kaye was to know kindness, generosity, and joy. She loved Jesus, treasured her family and friends, and shared her life with Homer—the love of her life.
Linda Kaye Hammond was born March 6, 1949, to Treva Mosier and Dale Hammond. She grew up in South Fork, Missouri, alongside her younger brother, Rodney Dale, helping at her parents’ business, Hammond Station. Those early years gave her deep roots in the community and included a beloved caregiver known as “Mom Claire.” Kaye attended West Plains High School and married her sweetheart, William Homer Hicks, on September 23, 1967. Soon afterward, Homer deployed to Vietnam while Kaye remained in West Plains. Together, they built a marriage filled with love and companionship, recently celebrating their 59th anniversary. Their life together held travels and adventures with special friends, work on the farm, and the simple pleasures of home. Morning coffee on the back porch overlooking the pond or at the kitchen table looking out the window was a treasured part of their days—the quiet joy of being together. After they were saved in 1994, Kaye and Homer began attending China Union Church. She dearly loved her church and its people, finding joy in worshiping and serving alongside Homer and their church family. Kaye spent 27 years working at the bank, beginning just after high school and retiring as vice president of real estate lending. Most precious were the friendships she made there. Her bank girls remained among the most special people in her life. At retirement, her coworkers gave her a tiny teacup Yorkie named Beebop, who became family and was loved like a child. She then spent many wonderful years working alongside her mom and brother at Time & Talent, her mother’s home décor and gift shop. She helped new brides and local families furnish their homes and welcomed customers from across the country. It was another place to bring people joy and serve the community she loved. Kaye had no children of her own, but she held a cherished place in the lives of her nieces, nephews, and their families. For Jodi and Kate, she was woven into childhood and every season that followed. In their small family, her presence was a big one. She was funny, generous, and loyal, and her love always will remain part of their lives.
Kaye is survived by her beloved husband, Homer Hicks; one brother, Rodney “Rod” Dale Hammond; niece, Jodi Hammond Widhalm, (and her sons, Jackson, Carter, Harrison, and Grant Widhalm); niece, Kate Hammond Hill and husband, Cliff, (and their daughter, AnnaJo Hill); nephew, Terry Hammond; brother-in-law, Duane Hicks, and wife, Mary; sister-in-law, Donna Hicks; nephews, Kevin Hicks, Michael Hicks, Larry Hicks and wife, Sabrina, and their children and grandchildren, Nicholas Hicks and wife, Elizabeth, and their children, nephew, Brian; and nieces, Jacinda and Rebecca; She also leaves behind her much-loved bank girlfriends and other dear friends.
She was preceded in death by her parents, an infant sister, Karen, her grandparents, Ed and Hazel Mosier and Charles and Ruby Hammond, several aunts, uncles and cousins, brothers-in-law, James Hicks and Wesley Hicks; sisters-in-law, Linda Hicks, wife of James, and Beverly Hicks, wife of Duane, and nephews, Casey Hammond and Brandon Hicks.
We are grateful for the many years of laughter, the memories, and the love she gave us. We will miss her dearly and find comfort in the faith she held and the hope of Heaven.
