Jonathan Hickman

Jonathan “Kent” Hickman, son of Larry Hickman and Kari Tarvin, passed away on November 30, 2018 due to a life-long illness.  We know that he is now in the arms of Jesus with a whole body after a very courageous fight with Sanfilippo Syndrome while on this earth.

Kent was born on April 14, 1996 and was 22 years old when he passed away.  We, his family, are incredibly blessed and eternally grateful that he was part of our family.  He taught us lessons during his time on earth that will be passed on to other generations.  We are better people for having walked this journey with him in our lives.  While we know that over time his disease stripped him of many things, it never was able to rob him of his spirit. We know that we will be reunited with our buddy-boy Kent because of the hope we have in our true Father, Jesus.

We want to say thank you to the many caregivers that cared for and loved Kent well.  Many of you were there years ago and moved on, while others have cared for him in the last few years. For the ones that have become part of our family and loved and cared for Kent so tenderly, our family graciously thanks you from the bottom of our hearts.  And a special thank you to the Palliative Care team at Akron Children’s Hospital.  You have journeyed with us for many years and have always been there for suggestions, support, and knowledge about what to expect. It wasn’t just professional; it was personal for us as you embraced each person in our family and supported us through this journey. 

Kent is survived by his parents, Larry Hickman and Kari (Tim) Tarvin, all of Shelby, Ohio, and his siblings: Kayla (Lee) Klopfenstein of Cleveland, Ohio, Krista (Ben) Carver of Shelby, Ohio, Kendra (Cody) Bryant of Middletown, Ohio, and Garrett Hickman of Shelby, Ohio. Other surviving relatives are his paternal grandpa, Jim Hickman of Tiro, Ohio, and his maternal grandparents, Sharon (David) Bradley, of Cherokee Village, Arkansas and Terry (Theresa) Hale of Ft. Worth, Texas.  Kent is also survived by a great-grandmother, Viola Shepard of Cherokee Village, Arkansas as well as many aunts, uncles and cousins. He was preceded in death by his big brother, Grant Hickman, his grandma, Evajean Hickman, his grandpa, Larry Wheeler, and his great-grandfather, Marion Shepard.

In lieu of calling hours, we would like to invite all friends and family to a brief service to honor Kent’s life and legacy which will be held on Thursday, December 6th at 6:30 p.m. at Core Community Church located at 3319 St. Rt. 96 East, Shelby, Ohio.  Pastor Ben Carver, brother-in-law to Kent, will officiate.  On Friday, December 7th, the processional for friends and family will leave Core Community Church at 11:00 a.m. and proceed to Oakland Cemetery for a graveside service.  Memorial expressions may be made to Palliative Care at Children’s Hospital, 1 Perkins Sq, Akron, OH 44308.

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