Ora Wicker Hicks was the first wife of Ballard Hicks. She was born in Mousie, KY. They married in their early twenties and raised seven children: Hewie, Lucy, Bulah, Dorsie, Curtis, Flossie, and Ballard Jr. Ora Wicker Hicks fell ill with a serious illness in the early 1940's at a time when medicine was unable to deal with many problems which are highly treatable today. Ballard Hicks left work in the coal mines and bought a small country store on Steele's Creek near Wayland, KY, in order to be able to make a living and be on hand to care for his wife. Ora Wicker Hicks died December 27, 1945, at the combination home and grocery store on Steele's Creek near Wayland, KY.

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Here is the obituary as it appeared in the January 3, 1945 edition of the Floyd County Times in Prestonsburg, KY.
Wayland Woman, 57, Paralysis Victim
Mrs. Ora Hicks, 57, wife of Ballard Hicks, died last Thursday, a victim of paralysis following an illness of three years. A daughter of the late Daniel and Sarah Wicker, Mrs. Hicks was a native of this county where she had many relatives and friends. Besides her husband, she is survived by the following sons and daughters: Mrs. Dorsie (Allen) Hicks, Huey Hicks, and Mrs. Lucy (Clifton) Moore of Mousie; Mrs. Beulah (Bert) Nickles of Wayland; Mrs. Flossie (John) Wicker of Mousie; Curtis Hicks of the US Navy in Occupied Japan; Ballard Hicks, Jr. of Wayland. She also leaves three brothers and four sisters: Will Wicker of Wonder; Mark Wicker of Harold; Cleophus Wicker, Mrs. Calloway Chaffins, Mrs. Virgie Wicker, all of Mousie; Mrs. Code Parsons of Whitehouse; and Mrs. Elihu Triplett of Mousie.

Funeral rites were conducted December 28, 1945, from the Mousie School with Revs. Alex Coburn, Hawk Moore, and M. M. Chaffins officiating. Burial was directed by the Ryan Funeral Home and the burial took place in the Combs Family Cemetery at Mousie, KY.∼Wife of Ballard Hicks. Daughter of Daniel Wicker & Sarah Stephens