Tom was born in Keene Valley on March 6, 1946, to Leo and Anne Hickey. He attended Keene Central School and graduated in 1964, and went on to earn an associate’s degree in criminal justice from Adirondack Community College. Tom served in the Navy during the Vietnam war from 1968 to 1969. After leaving the military, he graduated from the New York State Police academy in 1970. Tom worked his way up the state police ranks and retired in 2000 as a senior investigator with the NYS Bureau of Criminal Investigation. Tom also served as a member of the Town of Keene Planning Board for many years.

Tom was a lifelong outdoorsman who enjoyed hunting, four wheeling, and watching the wildlife around his home. He loved to spend time at the Upper Ausable Lake with his lifelong best friend Brett Lawrence, and in his later years Tom enjoyed being a member of Packard Camp in Colton, New York. He loved the Adirondacks, the town of Keene, and his family and friends. Tom was a strong, quiet man of great character and wisdom who prioritized his friends and family. He was a man who put the needs of others above his own and he could always be counted on to help those he loved. He was the kind of husband, father, and grandfather every man should strive to be.

Tom was preceded in death by his loving wife Connie of 54 years, his parents, his in-laws Art and Dot Wells, and his son Leo Hickey. He is survived by his daughter Carrie Hickey of Indian Trail, North Carolina, his daughter-in-law Wendy Hickey and two granddaughters, Elizabeth Hickey and Emily Hickey of Elizabethtown, New York, his brother-in-law Tom Wells (Natalie) of Hartsel, Colorado, and a number of nieces and nephews.

The family will hold a graveside service at Norton Cemetery in Keene on Friday, Sept. 26 at 2 p.m. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America.

Please visit www.mbclarkfuneralhome.com to share a memory or leave condolences. The M. B. Clark, Inc., Funeral Home in Lake Placid is in charge of arrangements.