Lucy Joan Asher Wicks, 90, of Boiling Springs, PA, died peacefully at home surrounded by loving family on Sunday, March 1, 2026.

Lucy was born on March 10, 1935, in Akron, New York. She was the youngest daughter of the Reverend Dr. Percy Frank Asher and Bertha Edith Asher. She is preceded in death by her husband of 66 years, Robert Burton Wicks, the love of her life; her parents; her sister, Dr. Joan Henley; brother-in-law, Thomas Henley; and baby boy Wicks. She is survived by three living children: Audrey Joan Wicks of Boiling Springs, PA; Geoffrey Burton Wicks (Angie) of Lewistown, PA; and Jill Wicks Baun of Mechanicsburg, PA. She leaves behind grandchildren to whom she was fiercely devoted: Trevor Burton Zizzi, Joshua Wicks, Leah Wicks, Noah Wicks, Olivia Wicks, Colton Baun, Brandon Baun, Tasha Smith, Lily Wicks-Forman, Dane Wicks-Forman; and nine great grandchildren. She is also survived by a non-biological daughter, Peggy Belcastro of Shermansdale, PA and close friends Dr. Paul and Mary Hurley of Buffalo, NY.

Lucy graduated from the Nursing Program at HACC in 1974. What some women refer to as sequencing their careers and families she referred to as simply being a late bloomer. She received her A.D.N. in the same year her oldest daughter graduated from high school. She received a B.S.N. from Lebanon Valley College and an M.S.N. from Villanova University. She worked for a number of years at Carlisle Hospital before her career took a momentous turn and she was offered a position with the Harrisburg Hospital Enterostomal Therapy Education Program. In time she realized that she had found her niche in nursing, eventually becoming the Director of Harrisburg Hospital’s W.O.C.N. Program. Following the Hospital's decision to close the school, Lucy decided to open her own nursing specialty education program to prepare nurse specialists for the field and allow them to become eligible to sit for the international board certification exam. She had a notable impact on the field of W.O.C.N. education. She had educated thousands of students and had hundreds of preceptors in both the US and Canada. The development of Wicks Educational Associates (WEA) marked the beginning of her entrepreneurial dream. WEA was the first privately owned and accredited W.O.C.N. Program in the nation. She had the widely accepted respect of students, colleagues, and manufacturers in a variety of specialties and sub-specialties, and had published entire chapters in educational textbooks on wound, ostomy and continence nursing including several published papers and speaking appearances. The pinnacle of her career was being invited by the Chinese Nursing Association to come teach their students for a month. It was a transformative experience and one that she openly shared with colleagues. She worked until she was 83. She spent her post-retirement years caring for her husband Robert and remaining a part of her grandchildren’s lives. Lucy and her husband had a second home on Angola Bay, DE where they lived out their dream of having a beach home.

Lucy grew up not knowing any family but her sister and parents, as other family members were still living in England. With no grandparenting role models she seemed to intuitively know how to be a sounding board, trusted advisor and adoring loved one. Several of her grandchildren lived with her and her husband for brief periods of time. During holidays there was always an extra chair for those who had no one to mark occasions with.

She wanted to be remembered as an entrepreneur, accomplished nurse educator and innovator. She was all those things and so much more.

The family wishes to thank the many compassionate, skilled professionals of Compassus Hospice Services.

Memorial Services will be held on Tuesday, March 10, 2026, at 1:00 PM in the Hollinger Funeral Home & Crematory, Inc., 501 N. Baltimore Ave, Mt. Holly Springs, PA 17065. A visitation will be held one hour prior to services. Donations in her memory can be made to the Amelia Given Library, 114 N Baltimore Ave, Mt. Holly Springs, PA 17065 or Compassus Hospice, 3314 Market St, Camp Hill, PA 17011. Visit HollingerFuneralHome.com to offer condolences to the family.