ALBANY — Scott M. Hickey was a handyman with a heart of gold.

He died on Saturday, Dec. 9, 2023, at Collar City Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Troy after being rushed to St Peter’s Hospital in Albany the day before Thanksgiving, then diagnosed with terminal cancer, and transferred to Collar City for palliative care. He was 62.

He was born in Albany County on July 9, 1961, the son of the late William B. Hickey Sr. and Louise M. (née Becker) Hickey. 

His family were communicants of St. Francis de Sales Church, the church where Mr. Hickey was baptized and received confirmation. He attended Colonie High School.

“For the past 15 years, since my husband died, Scott has mowed my lawn, shoveled snow, made small repairs to my home for whatever I could pay him, sometimes for free,” said his friend, Carol Coogan. “He’s made me laugh, checked in on me regularly, and been a good friend to me.”

Mr. Hickey lived with and cared for his elderly aunt, Bernadette Becker. His Aunt Bernadette’s friends, Ray and Phyllis Cardona, described Mr. Hickey as caring, kind, easygoing, resourceful, helpful, loyal, and loving especially to his aunt. They said he cared for her with dignity and compassion.

“Scott had a variety of jobs throughout his life,” Ms. Coogan said. He was a paperboy for the Times Union and eventually sold newspaper subscriptions. He worked in a pet store, worked down in the port of Albany, worked for Temple Israel, worked many manual jobs as a laborer.

“Scott will be remembered for his stories. For his sense of humor. For being an ongoing fixture around our neighborhood riding all over on his bike,” said Ms. Coogan. “He often would give me little gifts of things he’d found that he thought I’d like: a small decorative birdcage; a porcelain statue of a kingfisher; butterflies in a display case; new curtains, still in their unopened packaging.

“He checked in on me often, sometimes three times a week. He’d ask if I had any work for him. Even if I didn’t, he’d hang out, smoke a cigarette, and we’d shoot the breeze. 

“He helped anyone in the neighborhood for $10 here, $20 there. I gave him a couple of big jobs, like painting rooms; repairing with bricks, cement and mortar; taking down trees; digging holes and clearing shrubbery, which he did greatly appreciate. But he would help me for nothing if I needed a hand but didn’t have the funds.”

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Scott M. Hickey is survived by his siblings, William B. Hickey Jr. of Colonie, Cynthia Hickey of Albany, and Lori Entezari and her husband, Mehdi, of Collegeville, Pennsylvania, and by two aunts, Nauey E. “Teena” Becker and Bernadette “Bernie” Becker for whom he was caregiver for over the last 14 years.

No services or memorial are planned.

“ To honor Scott's memory,” said Ms. Coogan, “please share good cheer and humor with one another, and make yourself available to help others in need, just as Scott did throughout his life.”

— Melissa Hale-Spencer