Just before his senior year at Lafayette, Craig Hickey ’76 married Marjorie Weideman, a girl he had known from his high school youth group in the Philadelphia suburbs. But tragedy struck just before Thanksgiving, when they discovered her leukemia had come out of remission. She died just before Christmas.
Now, 30 years later, Hickey has written a book that tells the story of their romance, marriage, and her death. A Walk with God to Remember, though told from a faith perspective, is still about a search for love.
Much of the story of their relationship takes place while Hickey is at Lafayette. It reflects their experience in the InterVarsity Christian Fellowship on campus and in the dorms among the mostly male students at the time.
“Ever since Marj died, I had dreamed about writing the book as a way to bring some greater meaning out of her death, but it never seemed like the right time,” Hickey says. “I went to Gordon-Conwell Seminary right after college, then I was involved in ministry, first at a church and then with InterVarsity. I also felt that I needed to get perspective on my grief and mature before I could write it.”
After seminary, Hickey did an internship at the church he attended in college and, as a result, decided to wait before taking a pastoral position. He took a job with InterVarsity and worked with it for 14 years.
Throughout his book, Hickey relates the life lessons he gained from his relationship with his wife, and especially her death. He hopes the book will help guide those searching for love and hope after such a loss. Though tragic in the end from one perspective, from another the story is inspirational as Hickey’s faith helps him come through his loss.
On June 5, 1993, Hickey married Diane Martin, whom he met through the singles group at his church.
“Up until that time, I had been single for 17 years, just waiting for the right person to come along,” Hickey says. “We now have two girls Carissa, 11, and Joelle, 8. They were both adopted at 6 months from China and have been a real joy to us.”
In 1996, Hickey began his ministry at Lancaster Evangelical Free Church.
“Back at the end of 2002, my job at the Free Church was winding down and I was approaching 50, so I thought it would be a good time to write [the book], while I was looking for another job,” he says.
“Currently, I am working once more with a college student ministry, this time focused on international students,” he adds. “The organization is International Students, Inc., and I am serving as an area mobilizer, working with churches to help them reach out to the internationals.”
At Lafayette, Hickey majored in American civilization.
“Studying American society in such an interdisciplinary way helped me think out of the box about our culture and I believe helped me relate to those I was ministering to in a relevant way,” Hickey says.
“My time at Lafayette profoundly shaped who I am today,” he adds. “Though it is not a religious school per se, my faith grew in leaps and bounds through my experiences there. Of course, having a wife die then would have a great impact on you, but the rest of my time also challenged my growth. Much of it was the time in the [InterVarsity] fellowship and being in leadership with it. You can read the book as it talks a lot about that aspect. Certainly much of my ministry later in InterVarsity came from my Lafayette years.”
Hickey’s book is available through the publisher, Pleasant Word, as well as through Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com, and also can be ordered through most Christian bookstores.