Ray Hickey, businessman, philanthropist, dies
Ray Hickey, who turned Tidewater Barge Lines Inc. into one of the nation’s largest inland marine transportation companies before becoming a renowned Vancouver, Wash., philanthropist, died Wednesday morning. He was 82.
Hickey died unexpectedly at his home from heart-related complications, said his daughter, Linda Hickey.
Hickey had what his daughter referred to as “the American dream story.”
A Montana native, Hickey had been laid off from a job in an Idaho ore mine in 1951, when a sibling directed him to a newspaper ad advertising work on the Columbia River.
He moved to Vancouver, where he became a deckhand for Tidewater, working his way up through the ranks to president before eventually buying the company.
During his time with Tidewater, the company grew to become the largest inland marine transportation company west of the Mississippi River.
Hickey sold Tidewater in 1996, feeling “like he had really built the company into not only a successful company, but a company with a lot of integrity,” his daughter said. “He felt it was time to move onto other things cheap pay day loans.”
His focus shifted to philanthropy, both as an individual and through the Ray Hickey Foundation, of which Linda Hickey is the director.
Between personal donations and contributions through his foundation, Hickey gave more than $20 million to a host of regional organizations including the YWCA of Clark County, Columbia Land Trust, Doernbecher Children’s Hospital, and the Jack, Will, and Rob Boys and Girls Club in Camas, Wash.
In 2002 he gave $1.5 million to what would be come Vancouver’s first inpatient hospice center, developed by Southwest Washington Medical Center. It opened in May 2004 bearing his name: the Ray Hickey Hospice House.
He is survived by his daughters Linda Hickey and Cindy Nesbitt; a son, Wes Hickey; and seven grandchildren.
A memorial service will be held Friday, April 23, at the Vancouver First Church of God, 3300 N.E. 78th St., Vancouver. Wash. A time for the service was not finalized by early Thursday afternoon.
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