Robert
A.
"Bob"
Hicka
Robert A. (Bob) Hicka, and “Uncle Bob” to many who loved him, age 89, died on September 4, 2022. Bob was born in November 1932 in Astoria, Queens, New York City. A nearly lifetime resident of Floral Park, Queens, he attended elementary school and high school in Queens Village, NY. Following high school, he joined the U.S Navy and served in the Korean war as a fighter jet navigator. He then attended the Pratt Institute in NYC, graduating with a Bachelor of Electrical Engineering degree in 1959.
Bob went on to work as an electrical engineer for more than 30 years for government defense contractor EDO Corporation, working on high tech sonar technology for submarines. A talented engineer always interested in understanding how things worked, he became a leading national and international expert in cathode tube technology. In retirement, he remained an avid tennis player, enjoyed winters in Florida, and traveled to Central Europe, tracing his family’s genealogy. A deeply religious man, he was a member of Our Lady of the Snows Catholic Church in Floral Park, Queens for many years and was involved in numerous charities.
A devoted son, dedicated older brother to Carolyn (Hicka) Edge, and beloved uncle to seven nieces and nephews, Uncle Bob could be counted on to attend all family holidays and celebrations, draw cartoons, teach one how to play chess and to juggle, share tactics to avoid pick-pocketers abroad, and question generally accepted ideas and beliefs, often with humor and aplomb. He firmly believed in the value of education and had great influence on some of his nephews' career paths into the engineering and technology fields.
Bob is survived by his sister Carolyn (Hicka) Edge, his niece and nephews Maureen, Joseph, Stephen, Gerard, and Robert (Bob) Edge, as well as six great nieces and nephews, numerous cousins, and extended family. He was preceded in death by his parents, Aloysius and Elizabeth Hicka, his brother-in-law John (Jack) Edge, and nieces Laura Ann Edge and Catherine Marie Edge.
The Mass of Christian Burial will be offered on Monday, September 19, 2022 at 10 am at Saint Mary's Church in Washingtonville, NY, followed by interment at Calvary Cemetery, Newburgh, NY. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Covenant House.