Obituary of Larry Ross Hickman

Larry Ross Hickman, 80, Ret. Navy AMH-1,  joined our Lord and Savior on January 30, 2023  

Larry was born on 2/5/1942 to parents, Willard and Nell (McAlister) Hickman in Portsmouth Ohio.  He was raised in Portsmouth among grandparents, aunts, uncles and a plethora of cousins. 

Larry was an adrenaline junkie which started with a cousin (who was a crop duster with a bi-plane) took him on his first plane ride at 8.  Larry was an avid hunter and fisherman, killing his first deer on his uncles farm at the age of 10 (he was actually hunting squirrels).  Larry turned 17 on the 5th of February and joined the US Navy on the 16th of February, logging over 6,000 hours of air time in everything that flew in the Navy.  He was a member of RUSMOS (Recovery of US Manned Orbital Spacecraft) recovering the Gemini  GT-5 (6/1965) and a qualified Plane Captain in the SH-3A Sea King Helicopter.  He served on several aircraft carriers including the USS Lake Champlain, USS Forestall, and USS Hornet.  

Larry was never one to do just one thing at a time.  His favorite hobby was race driving and raced for many years Late Model Sportsman at the dirt and asphalt tracks at  Saluda, Martinsville, Eastside and Richmond VA as well as Bithlo, New Smyrna and East Bay, FL. He was an avid Nascar fan and was personal friends with several Nascar drivers and pit crews.   

 While in the Navy he often held 2nd jobs that included selling Cutco Knives door to door,  bar tending, bull riding, 18 wheel truck driving hauling Light Water (nuclear), real estate agent and life and health insurance agent.  After retiring from the Navy Larry earned 4 Associates of Art degrees from Seminole Community College, Longwood, FL.  Eventually, he opened his own insurance brokerage and at the peak had over 400 agents under his brokerage.  He closed the brokerage in 2000, but found retirement too boring.  He went on to do part time jobs, trying his hand at several things, including working as a toll booth operator, driving the Rhino Rally truck and Engineer on the train at Busch Gardens, transporting cars and then finally driving the Special Events Courtesy Van for Bill Curry Ford.  Larry was one that never met a stranger.  Strangers were just friends he hadn’t meet yet. 

Larry was a member of the Grand Lodge of F & AM Masons of Florida, Scottish Rite Valley of Orlando and Bahia Shrine of Apopka, FL. He was an active member of All Saints Lutheran Church in Lutz, FL. 

Larry was predeceased by an infant son, Larry Ross Jr.,  his first wife, Carol Sue (Lang), his parents,  older sister, Judith Ann Webster and grandson’s Ross Hickman and Dale Carder. 

Larry is survived by the love of his life, his wife of 43 years, Susan Kay (Crouch), children, Melissa (John) Walls, Larry Willard Hickman, Michelle (Rhonda), Sorina Davis, and William Hickman; grandchildren Martyna Krege, Michelle (Ethan) Kirk, Andrea Carder, Danielle Hickman, Austin (Ashley) Davis, and Evan Davis; and great-grandchildren Leilani Krege, Aleena Carder, Juliet Davis, and Ezra Kirk, and niece Lisa Stroming.   

Services to be held at All Saints Lutheran Church with internment at Bushnell National Cemetery, Bushnell, FL.  Dates and times to be announced.