William Woodrow Hicks, Founder and CEO of Bill Hicks & Co, Ltd, a wholesale distributor for the shooting sports industry in Minneapolis, MN, passed away on May 28, 2026.
A few (mostly) unknown facts about Bill:
- He was a star athlete at St. Paul Central High School, excelling in football and basketball.
- He earned an academic scholarship at Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, MN.
- He worked a few places before deciding he needed to be his own boss, including a stint as a model with the Eleanor Moore Modeling Agency.
- In 1970, Bill became an active member of AA, speaking at various venues, and helping many individuals through their struggles with alcohol. He was proudly sober the remainder of his life.
- Bill and his wife, Cathy, were married for 60 years.
Bill attended his first gun show in 1970, and found his calling! After starting a business buying and selling guns out of the basement of the family home, travelling the country in his car to purchase gun collections, and attending gun shows (often with his family in tow), he decided to move the business to an actual office/warehouse, creating the distributorship Bill Hicks & Co., Ltd. As business expanded, he built his own office/warehouse in Plymouth in the late 80's. What started as a passion buying and selling used/collector firearms developed into a successful business. He was, first and foremost, a businessman – the ultimate wheeler-and-dealer - occasionally ruthless, but very well-respected. He loved the firearms industry, (some) of the people in the industry, and, most of all, making money. He instilled this business acumen in his children, who run the business to this day. According to Bill, "You just have to be a little bit smarter than the people you're buying from, and a little bit smarter than the people you're selling to." Throughout his 57 years as a business owner, he had numerous incredible people that worked with him/worked for him.
Bill enjoyed hunting, and was a collector of many "things". He also enjoyed his ranch in Florida, and fifteen years ago started collecting cars with his son. What started as chasing childhood nostalgia led to attending all but one Barrett Jackson Auto auction, a fascination with Corvettes and anything "cool".
Bill's incredible journey ended on Thursday evening, May 28th. He was very recently diagnosed with Neuroendocrine Cancer, and Parkinson's Disease. He also suffered from Alzheimer's Disease. After a day and a half in home hospice, he could no longer battle the diseases, and is now resting in eternal peace.
Bill is survived by his sister, his selfless wife, two children, five grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren, who loved him dearly. He will also be deeply missed by his ever-present canine companion, Stella, whom he liked more than most people.
Bill established quite a legacy, and the family plans to carry on that legacy for a very long time.
We miss you Grandpa!