With sadness, we share that Dennis “Denny” Hickman passed away on November 27, 2025, at the age of 65 following a courageous battle with pancreatic cancer.
According to his obituary, Denny was a third-generation steward of the family business, who devoted his life to the lumber and hardwood industry. A 1980 graduate of National Hardwood Lumber Association (NHLA) in Memphis, he returned home to Hickman Lumber. The company was founded by his grandfather, Harry, and Denny’s father, Larry, later took over operations. Denny helped expand Hickman Lumber through hard work, innovation, and an unwavering commitment to quality. He established the company’s dry kilns and served the industry in leadership roles, being on the Pennsylvania Forest Products Association Board and the Allegheny Hardwoods Utilization Group Board. He was also a longtime member of the National Wood Flooring Association (NWFA).
In 2000, guided by a vision to honor the beauty of the region’s timber, Denny founded Allegheny Mountain Hardwood Flooring (AMHF). His expertise brought AMHF into high-profile projects and Denny was featured on HGTV’s “This Old House” and “Restored by the Fords,” WQED’s “Family Tree,” and multiple industry documentaries.
In 2021, Denny was featured on the NWFA Wood Talk podcast. He was also interviewed in 2017 for this story in Hardwood Floors magazine, where he shared details about his career in the lumber and hardwood industry as well as working in a multi-generational family business.
Denny is survived by his wife Jane; his mother, Gayle Hickman; four children and their spouses, Jake and Kendall Hickman, Jessica and Joshua Fresch, Annie and Dustin Swartfager, and Melissa and Keith Hughes; and his grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his father, Larry.
Services were held on December 1, 2025, at Emlenton United Methodist Church. Memorial contributions may be made to the Denny Hickman – Get Outside and Do Stuff Memorial Scholarship Fund. This fund will provide financial assistance to students from Venango and Clarion counties pursuing post-secondary education in timber harvesting, forestry, and forest management, ensuring his legacy of practical, outdoor professionalism endures. To make a contribution, please visit bbcf.fcsuite.com/erp/donate/list or mail to Bridge Builders Community Foundation, Denny Hickman Scholarship Fund, 1322 Elk St., Franklin, PA 16323. Donations also may be made to the Boys and Girls Club Along the Allegheny, P.O. Box 2, Emlenton, PA 16373 or The Emlenton Fire Department, P.O. Box 371, Emlenton, PA 16373. View his obituary and send condolences to the family here.