Obituary of Dorothy "Dot" Hall Hickey

Dorothy Ellen Cook was born on September 28, 1959 and passed away on November 12, 2015, after a lengthy illness. She was born to Gerald Ford Cook and Gail Forrester Cook on September 28, 1959 in Encino, California. Her sister Susan was born two years later. When Dot was about four, she wanted to understand family relationships. She said, “Susie is my sister: Aunt Karen is your sister: who is daddy’s sister or brother? I explained that her dad had no sisters or brothers to which she exclaimed, “Oh, he is poor isn’t he?” She was not “poor” in family relationships. After her parents’ divorce and remarriage she gained sisters Cheri, Cyndi, Chris, and Cathi; then brother David. On the other side she gained sister Jackie. While in Elementary School she took piano lessons and sang harmony in the children’s choir. In 6th grade she joined the ham radio club to show her teacher that girls could do that, too. In Jr. High, she joined the band telling the counselor she could play the flute. Although she had only blown into the family flute previously, after 2 or 3 weeks of constant flute tooting at home, she was playing in the band and made 1st chair after a couple of months. At Cleveland High in Northridge, Ca. she joined the drill team and was editor of the school newspaper while taking honors classes and working part time at Jack in the Box. She graduated in 1977. She went on to UCSB from which she graduated with a BA in Business Economics in 1982. Dorothy worked for Social Security for several years as a claims representative. She then worked at UCSB in the Admissions Office and later in the office of Grants and Research. She married Charles Hall on June 29, 1985. Her son Alexander was born on May 22, 1991 and her daughter Justina on July 27, 1995. Dot and Charles divorced in 1999. Dorothy moved back to Simi Valley after having lived in Goleta since her college days. She married Jason Hickey in 2005. There will be a private memorial service for her on November 29, 2015.