Hickson Eugene Nyander, 95, of Grove, Oklahoma, formerly of Southwest City, Missouri, departed this life on Friday May 18, 2018, at the Grove Nursing Center in Grove, Oklahoma.
Hickson entered this life on October 19, 1922 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, born to the late Carl and Lou Nyander. He was married in Chicago on March 24, 1945, to Irene Sachs and had two sons, Stuart and Alan. On February 6, 1953, he was married to Mary Alice Pike and they had five more children; Hal, Debra, Bret, Tim and Suzanne. Hickson was very proud of his military service during WWII, the Korean War and the Vietnam War. He was an aircraft mechanic on a multitude of aircraft from radial engines to jets. He also flew combat missions as a flight engineer on B-29s during the Korean War. He spent 8 years in the United States Navy followed by an additional 12 years in the United States Air Force (USAF). He had stateside assignments in OK and CA (2) with overseas assignments in France, Okinawa and Guam. He retired from USAF in 1966 and lived for one year in Tulsa, OK, before moving to Southwest City, Missouri, in 1967. He spent his first few years there working at Lester Sanders Chevrolet, in Noel, Missouri, before taking the Maintenance Superintendent position at Hudson Foods, also in Noel, which he did for 17 years until he retired in 1988. He was a longtime member of the Southwest City United Methodist Church.
He was preceded in death by his parents and his wife, Mary Nyander.
Hickson is survived by his seven children; Stuart Nyander of Tulsa, Oklahoma; Alan Gulick and wife, Cindy, of Lake Forest, California; Hal Nyander and wife, Penny, of Hereford, Arizona; Debra Watts and husband, Jim, of Republic, Missouri; Bret Nyander and wife, Nema, of Livingston, Texas; Tim Nyander and wife, Beckie, of Springdale, Arkansas and Suzanne Sutton and husband, Randy, of Anderson, Missouri; thirteen grandchildren; several great grandchildren; several nieces and nephews; as well as a host of other family and friends.
Funeral services for Hickson Nyander are 10:00 a.m. Thursday, May 24, 2018, at the United Methodist Church in Southwest City, Missouri, with Pastor Mark Kailbourn officiating. Burial will follow in the Polson Cemetery near Southwest City. The family will receive friends on Wednesday evening from 6:00-7:00 p.m. in the Southwest City Chapel of the Ozark Funeral Homes. In lieu of flowers memorials are being directed to the Southwest City United Methodist Church c/o the funeral home.
Walter (Walt) Urban here. I read this today and wish to express my condolences to the Nyander family. My dad, Jarolin (Jerry) Joseph Urban Sr., was stationed in France in the early 1960’s and worked with Hixon in the USAF. As a result, our two families were aquanted during that time. I remember the adults having Christmas and New Year’s parties. I remember our visiting Hixon and Mary near Joplin, MO one summer when we lived in Columbus, OH. They lived on a family farm in the rural area and we had fun as youth doing activities. My mother, Mary Elizabeth (Liz) Urban ( Greene) and Mary stayed in contact over the years through letters and cards, sharing pictures and updates of the children and their progress in life. If any of the Nyander family whom I remember were inclined to contact me, I would love to hear from them and share new updates. Hixon and Mary were true-blue Americans and I salute their long contribution and service to America.
ReplyDeleteurbanwalter@yahoo.com (my alternate email)