Esther Mary Hickey (Rice), a resident of Wellesley for over 60 years, died January 31, 2018 at the age of 95. Born in Malden Nov. 2, 1922 to the late Charles C. and Elizabeth (Kiley) Rice, she was predeceased by her beloved husband of 40 years, Frederick Joseph Hickey.
She is survived by her 9 children: Carol (Robert) Studley of Provincetown, Janice (Edward) Pecoraro of Norwell, Paula (Robert) Gaudet of Natick, Elaine (Jack) Schicitano of Natick, Kevin (Bonnie) Hickey of Stoughton, Patricia Hickey (Mark Gove) of Franklin, Thomas (Dale) Hickey of E. Sandwich, Frederick Hickey of Merrimack, NH and Michael Hickey (Erin McGee) of Millis; 11 grandchildren: Richard (Mollie) Studley of Arlington, Michael Pecoraro of Norwell, Meghan Hickey Lynch of Durango, CO, Ryan Gaudet of Providence, RI, John Schicitano of Natick, Kelly Hickey of Northampton, Shannon Hickey of Stoughton, Stephen (Rochelle) Hickey of Framingham, Jonathan Hickey of Boston, Lauren Hickey of Waltham and Tracy Hickey of Derry, NH; and 3 great-grandchildren: Bentley Furda of Durango, CO, Roland Hickey of Framingham and Dara Studley of Arlington. Dear sister of the late Gertrude Carr, Lawrence Rice and Hubert Rice, she is survived by her sister-in-law Shirley Rice of Acton.
Esther was a devoted wife who loved dancing with her cherished husband Fred. A loving mother, she delighted in spending time with her children and extended family. She loved being outdoors, tending to her garden, as well as spending quiet days inside reading, completing crossword puzzles and working on her needlepoint. She was an enthusiastic fan of the Red Sox and enjoyed having friends over to visit and play cards.
Visiting hours will be Monday, February 5th from 4-7PM at the Henry J. Burke & Sons Funeral Home, 56 Washington St. Wellesley and again from 10-11AM, Tuesday, February 6th. A Mass of Christian burial will be held in St. John the Evangelist Church, 9 Glen Rd. Wellesley Tuesday at 11AM followed by interment in St. Mary’s Cemetery, Needham. In lieu of flowers, donations in Esther’s memory may be made to the Sisters of Providence Retirement Fund c/o Mission Advancement Office 1 Sisters of Providence Rd. Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, IN 47876 or at www.SPSMW.org