Leon Hickok
Sep 13, 1940 -
Oct 15, 2026
Leon Hickok, who taught physics and math in the Anchorage School District for more than two decades, died on Oct. 15, 2026, in Anchorage, Alaska. He was 86.
Leon was born on Sept. 13, 1940, in McMinnville, Ore. Despite his mother's misgivings about having a child on Friday the 13th, Leon came to think of it as his lucky day. He grew up in Cottage Grove, Ore. His father encouraged him to repair broken toys rather than replace them and involved him early in building a new family home. Those lessons helped spark Leon's lifelong love of building and figuring out how things worked. He became the person who could fix anything. Despite struggling with dyslexia that went undiagnosed until his 40s, Leon remained a lifelong tinkerer and learner, constantly taking things apart and putting them back together.
Leon graduated from Linfield College with a degree in mathematics in 1964. He briefly worked as a bank examiner before deciding his true calling was teaching and returning to Linfield for his teaching certificate. While there, he met Roberta "Robbie" Hall. Robbie was won over by his sense of humor and mischief.
Leon and Robbie were married in 1967, and went on to teach at the American School in Japan. Leon taught physics and math and coached swimming. Their six years in Tokyo led to a shared love of travel. The two of them traveled together all over the world.
When it was time to leave Japan, Leon agreed to move to Robbie's home state of Alaska. Leon loved Alaska. He loved fishing and camping and adventure. He taught at Bartlett and Dimond high schools. His teaching style was extremely hands-on. He enjoyed bringing physics to life with lab experiments, and he had a story for everything.
Leon is survived by his wife of nearly 60 years, Roberta Hickok. His energy, sense of humor, singing voice and boundless curiosity will be missed.
A celebration of life open house will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026, from 4-6 p.m. at the McCarrey home, 4530 E. 136th Avenue, off Elmore Road in Anchorage. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Cook Inletkeeper.
