Marcia Bryan Bicks Obituary - Visitation & Funeral Information

On September 29, 2019, the world bid farewell to Marcia Bryan Bicks, 85, our beloved mother, grandmother, and friend, who left us in style. Marcia was a lifelong Memphian. She spent her early childhood years living in South Memphis with her pet duck, Donald, in an apartment above her father’s doctor’s office on South Parkway. She moved with her parents to her house, near Chickasaw Gardens, at age 15, and she lived there for the rest of her life. Marcia was a lifelong intellectual, who had a passion for learning that began at A.B Hill, her elementary school, then continued on through Southside High School, and Wellesley College, where she graduated at the age of 20 with a Bachelor’s Degree in French. Marcia was larger than life in so many ways. Not only was she a vocal political liberal and a passionate, active patron of the arts, she was also tall—so tall in fact, that they let her skip two grades in elementary school (which meant she went to college at age 16!) Marcia and her husband Richard treated their home like part bed and breakfast, part community center. Any and all were welcome there, and they often joked that their burglar alarm code was widely known throughout the globe. The Bickses regularly played host to traveling performers who visited to sing with Opera Memphis, doctors from China who participated in an exchange program with the Baptist Hospital, and many friends, relatives, and friends of friends who simply needed to experience what true Southern hospitality was really like. Chances are if you live in Memphis and you ask around, you probably know someone who had the chance to hang out with Marcia in her backyard, at “the pool.” In addition to modeling how to be the consummate host, Marcia was a treasure trove of knowledge. She was a voracious reader and consumed everything from dense biographies of politicians to trashy detective novels. She was also an avid traveler, and before she reached middle age, Marcia had set foot on every continent except Antarctica. She was always willing and excited to share what she knew with the people around her, and one place she did that was at the Brooks Museum of Art, where she was a docent for many years. Ask anyone who knew Marcia, and they’ll tell you she was always up for anything. She was a fierce, independent, fiery spirit, and a bon vivant, and if you wanted to go on an adventure, she wanted to go with you. Old age never slowed her down, and in 2013, she decided that she wanted to celebrate her 80th birthday on Bourbon Street, so she rented out the top floor of Galatoire’s to do it. In 2017, she chose to celebrate her 84th birthday at Sinatra, in the Wynn Las Vegas. Marcia had a regular mahjong group, took field trips to see the Met Live in HD, was a skilled iPhone and Instagram user, and had perfected her delivery order from all of the best spots on Uber Eats. One hidden talent that Marcia had was picking the best dish on every restaurant menu. Those who knew her learned quickly that they should always order after her, so that they could copy her order and ensure they’d be getting the best food on the menu. Dining out will now be much riskier for all of us. Marcia will be sorely missed by everyone she leaves behind. Not a big believer in the spiritual world, she regularly reported “My children will be my afterlife.” (So, no pressure to them!) She is preceded in death by her beloved parents, Tillie and Sam Bryan, and her husband, Richard O. Bicks, who died in 2005. She is survived by her three children: Nathan (Andrea), Steven (Ginger), and Sharon; five grandchildren: Alexandra, Rebecca, Benjamin, Samuel, and Aaron; and way too many friends to count. Funeral Services will be 11:00am Wednesday, October 2nd in Levy-Cooper Chapel in Temple Israel Cemetery, with burial to follow. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you make donations to the Memphis Food Bank.

Tributes

Marcia Bryan Bicks

December 21, 1933 - September 29, 2019