Amanda Lucas was born and raised in the foothills of the North Georgia mountains, where she spent most of her time with her great-grandparents and has fond memories of their visits to the local funeral home. As a young girl, she was always fascinated by medicine and wanted to become a doctor or surgeon. At the age of 15, she hoped to gain insight into the medical field and started working at the funeral home as her first job.
"I continued working at the funeral home through my senior year of high school and my first year of pre-med. Then, I changed my career path and decided to go on to mortuary school to become a funeral director. I love what I do and I have never looked back," Amanda shared her story with me during our interview, as she recalled her high school days.
Now, she has been an active member of the funeral service industry for nearly 23 years and a licensed funeral director and embalmer for 16 years. She loves meeting with families and learning about their loved ones. "My favorite part of a service is writing the obituary. I believe this is a person's last mark on earth and everyone deserves to be remembered."
Moving to Elberton
In 2021, she moved to Elberton, GA from Evans, GA to accept the position at Hicks Funeral Home. Thinking about her first visit to Elberton, Amanda recalls, "I drove through town for the first time to meet the staff. I immediately made up my mind that we would make the move. Elberton reminds me of my hometown of Cleveland, Georgia, and I love it dearly."
Although Amanda is a new resident of Elberton, she fits right in and made community service her top priority. Amanda enjoys the small-town environment while raising her two children, sightseeing historical sites, watching her children play baseball and twirl a baton, and listening to southern gospel and bluegrass music. Amanda is honored to lead her Hicks Funeral Family team in addition to community roles as President-Elect of the Rotary Club of Elberton, Secretary of the Elberton Lions Club, an advocate for Project Linus, and a member of the Patriot Guard Riders of Georgia.
A True Community Partner
Amanda's passion for community involvement started at a young age. The local funeral home in her hometown was tightly woven into the community and hosted the Annual Community Egg Hunt for BabyLand General Hospital, the birthplace of the Cabbage Patch Kids. "I had wonderful experiences growing up in that environment. And when I moved to Elberton, it just seems natural to me that we should host events for kids, families, and the community," she said.
"I have a passion for serving families and honoring each person's legacy. Many people associate the funeral home with death, but, in fact, we are here to celebrate life. I want to give people lots of new opportunities to create lasting memories, all year long,"
- Amanda Lucas, Funeral Director of Hicks Funeral Home and Cremation Services
During her first year working in Elberton, Amanda has already established a variety of community events and sponsorships for individuals, organizations, schools, and victims of natural disasters.
In May 2022, Amanda organized and hosted a lovely Mother's Day Celebration featuring tea party, baked goods, and handmade crafts for children to take home, in partnership with 2Morrows Creations. In June, she organized a Father's Day Cookout with BBQ and giveaways. On other occasions, she delivered lunch to USPS during postal appreciation week, breakfast and lunch for teacher appreciation week, collected Christmas gifts for disaster relief, and participated in the Christmas Parade. Next, she participated in Reading Across America, purchased cinch sacks for the band, tents for the football team, sponsored JROTC Raiders, newspapers in Education, sponsored content on Macaroni KID Elberton, and the list goes on and on.
Amanda told me, "The Mother's Day event holds a special place in my heart, as a single parent of two children. I want to be sure that all mothers and fathers in our community can feel truly appreciated. In this community, nobody should feel lonely on these special days."
More Things to Come...
Amanda has a sincere desire to help others and is always thinking of new and creative ways to support the community through sponsorships and special events. She is working on details to create a baseball / softball scholarship to provide financial aid, uniforms, and equipment for little league, in honor of her son's grand slam.
And to celebrate the holidays, Hicks Funeral Home hosts an annual Mother's Day celebration with kids crafts, giveaways and light refreshments, Father's Day cookout, Hicks Christmas Party, and Crafts for Christmas each year.
For more information, visit the official website, Facebook page, and upcoming events on our calendar.
Hicks Funeral Home
Address: 231 Heard St. Elberton, Georgia 30635
Email: hicksfuneral@elberton.net
Phone: 706-283-2554
