For over a decade, Stephan A. Hicks worked to uplift boys and men in the Richmond region and empower them to be their best selves.

As founder and executive director of My Brother’s Keeper of Greater Richmond, he was crucial to the nonprofit’s work, helping thousands of boys and men over the years. Hicks died Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024, at the age of 63, surrounded by family and MBK leaders.

 While his service has ended, his collaborators said his impact will be felt for years.

“Stephan Hicks was the father of fathers,” MBK Director Nathan Womack Jr. said in a statement. “He dedicated his life to helping fathers young and old become better.”

Hicks was born on April 24, 1961, in Montgomery, Ala., to Johnny H. Dabney Jr. and the late Marjorie Sayles, moving to Richmond at the age of 40, where he spent years in the city’s South Side. He graduated from Johns Hopkins University in 2004 with a degree in business management and Liberty University in 2013 with an associate of science degree in psychology.

Before coming to Richmond, Hicks faced numerous challenges in his life.

He grew up without his birth father, dropped out of high school following moves to Pennsylvania and back to Alabama, went through two failed marriages, struggled with drug addiction, served time in prison and became homeless.

Hicks said these experiences, though difficult, were crucial to him founding MBK in 2009. He believed they helped him better relate to other men’s struggles. The nonprofit, in his view, serves as a place for men to share hardships and build positive relationships.

Known as “Coach” to friends and those he aided over the years, Hicks helped mentor males age 13 and older through various group workshops, seminars and programs. From offering suits and job training to recognizing clients with awards for their community contributions, boys and men have gained essential life skills through MBK.

“Once I asked him how was he so successful at engaging the young men, getting them to attend class and participate?”

Womack said. “‘Show them love, Nate’ he said. “‘Just show them love.’”

In addition to MBK, Hicks also worked with other local and state organizations, including the Virginia Family and Father Initiative, and held positions at John Tyler Community College and Virginia Commonwealth University. He was a dedicated church member and an ordained minister. He belonged to New Canaan International Church, which now also houses the offices of MBK.

Hicks was preceded in death by his mother, sisters Angela Hicks and LaRonda Jones and stepfather York Hicks. He is survived by his wife, Monica L. Haynes-Hicks, daughters Shevelle Montgomery and Stephanie Hicks, granddaughters Tatum Montgomery and Camila Radinovic, his father, two sisters, four brothers and four stepchildren.

“Stephan gave everything he had to MBK. To use a sports analogy, he left it all on the field. He held nothing back,” said Haynes-Hicks, his wife of 10 years and MBK’s media director. “If everyone were this committed to solving the problems of the world, they’d be solved.”

A funeral for Hicks will be held 11 a.m. Oct. 11 at New Canaan International Church at 1708 Byron St., followed by a private interment.