Inspirational Debbie Hickman, 58, dies after cancer battle
Her four-year battle with cancer has been described as 'inspirational'. Debbie Hickman, who turned her hand to careers as varied as marketing to farming before moving to New York has died at the age of 58.
Born in Kingswinford, her father was Midland property developer Jeffery Hickman, the owner of Hickman-Stanmore construction group.
She was married to Martin Dunn, who began his journalistic career on the former Dudley Herald, and went on to become editor-in-chief of the New York Daily News, where he was once reputed to be the highest-paid newspaper editor in the world.
Following her death earlier this month Mr Dunn said: "For four years, Debbie's struggle against cancer was an inspiration to everyone who knew her."
Ms Hickman leaves behind children Tomjo and Bertie. Although she was born in the Black Country her family moved when she was a child to Bridgnorth. After attending Alice Otley School, Worcester, Ms Hickman worked in marketing. During the 1990s she kept a farm in Crowle, Worcestershire.
Her future husband attended Dudley Grammar School until he was 17, when he joined the Dudley Herald as a £10-a-week trainee. The couple initially met through mutual friends in the 1970s, and later rekindled their friendship more than 20 years later. Mr Dunn went to work in Boston, Massachusetts, but remained in touch with Ms Hickman.
In 1993 he became the editor of New York Daily News after signing a £1 million-plus contract. He returned to Britain in 1996 to work on a cable television project, and during this time he became close to Ms Hickman.
The couple then moved to the US where Mr Dunn returned for a second spell in charge of the New York Daily News, and remained at the paper until July 2010 when he announced his wife was ill. Debbie died at her home in Greenwich, Connecticut on Saturday with her family at her side.
A cremation will take place in a private ceremony at Greenwich today, followed by a memorial service on January 22 at St Cassian Church in Chaddesley Corbett at 2pm.
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