On March 23, 2015, our Mom passed away at the Upper River Valley Hospital in Waterville, NB. Born in Sussex, she was the daughter of the late Willard and Iva (nee McKnight) Thorne, and a loving wife to the late Ronald Austin Hicks who passed away in 2013. Irene is survived by her children: Susan (Albert Canrinus), Dawn (Douglas Milley) and Errol (Kim MacFarlane); her 4 grandchildren and 6 great-grandchildren. Irene grew up in Sussex and graduated from Sussex High School. She married Ronald in 1949. They lived in Sussex, Saint John, Fredericton, and returned to Sussex during their retirement years. Their lives were filled with much adventure. They gardened, built three homes, and travelled across Canada several times, as well as a special trip to Bermuda. Mom was an avid cook, gifted seamstress, quilter and crochet maven. She made wonderful pieces of work for her children and passed her sewing knowledge to her daughters. She was an amazing caregiver to her husband during the last 5 years of their life together. Mom was diagnosed a celiac when she was in her 40’s. She accepted the challenge of creating a healthy life while incorporating the changes to her diet. She experimented with recipes until she had the product she was looking for. She supported the work of the Celiac Association. A sincere thank you to the staff of the Saint John Regional Hospital and the Upper River Valley Hospital in Waterville for the special care they provided to Mom in her final days. Arrangements have been entrusted to the professional care of Sussex Select Community Funeral Home from where visitation will be held on Saturday March 28th from 1-2 pm with the funeral service immediately following at 2:00 pm with Pastor Ron Kammerman presiding. Donations to the Celiac Association or to the Congregational Christian Church of Moncton would be appreciated by the family. Online condolences are available at www.sussexfh.com