Danny D. Vickers

Service for Danny D. Vickers of Marlin, Texas, will be held on Sunday, September 19, 2021 at 4:00 pm at First United Methodist Church, 411 Coleman Street, Marlin, Texas 76661. Burial will follow at Calvary Cemetery. Per family request, the guest book of Danny Vickers will be available to sign Sunday, September 19, 2:30 pm-4:00 pm, at the church.

Danny Duane Vickers, age 64, of Marlin, passed away on September 16, 2021,
surrounded by family at Baylor Scott & White Hospital in Temple.

Danny was born April 28, 1957, in Iraan, Texas, to his parents, Cleddie Henderson Vickers
and Della Coriene Yates Vickers. Danny began working shortly after learning to ride a bike,
when he and his brother had a paper route. Additionally, Danny sold Christmas cards door-todoor
in November and December, and then flower seeds in the spring and fall. His professional
career began at 10:00 a.m. on his 16th birthday, when he interviewed for a part-time job at
Golden Fried Chicken in Georgetown. The next day as he walked in from school, the phone rang
and it was the manager he interviewed with, telling him that if he wanted a job, he needed to
be there by 4:00 o’clock! The rest, as they say, is history.

Danny attended Georgetown Public Schools almost exclusively from first grade through
graduation. During that time, he went to school with, and had an eye for, Linda Kotrla. After
graduation, Danny enrolled in and attended Rice University before later pursuing a job
opportunity with a promising restaurant chain. A rapidly growing company, Howard B. Walker’s
Golden Fried Chicken was looking for store managers. After his freshman year at Rice, Danny
was offered a manager’s job at the brand-new Luling location, which came with, in Danny’s
words, “a princely sum at the time.” Danny once said, “I don’t think anyone with any real
ambition starts out by saying to himself, ‘I want to fry chicken for the rest of my life.’ However,
what I saw in the example provided by the Walkers was a level of dedication, commitment, and
a willingness to work long hours toward a long-term goal of not just financial security, but
financial independence. I respected them for the high standards they set for their employees
and for themselves. They taught me, by example, that if you are willing to sacrifice some of the
things you want to do in the short run, you will be better able to get where you want to be in
the long run.”

On June 25, 1977, Danny was united in marriage to Linda Kotrla at the chapel at
Southwestern University in Georgetown, a union blessed with 44 years of prosperity and
happiness. On October 9, 1979, Danny and Linda opened The Chicken Place in Marlin.
Determined and committed, Danny saw The Chicken Place transform from a restaurant into a
multi-faceted corporation, including 3 restaurants, 2 catering operations, and an event venue.
Danny’s passion for entrepreneurship was only surpassed by his dedication to his
community and his family. Danny was a deeply committed and faithful long-time member of
the First United Methodist Church of Marlin. Over the years, he also served on the Marlin ISD
school board, the Falls Community Hospital Board, the Rotary Club, and with numerous other
organizations. His favorite titles were husband, father, and Pop Pop.

He is survived by his wife, Linda of Marlin; a son, Scott Vickers, his wife Anna, and their
children Amelia and Wesley, of Keller; a daughter, Lauren Wilson, her husband Joe, and their
children Olivia and Anthony, of Temple; a daughter, Allison Wolfe, her husband Andrew, and
their children Juliana and Jackson, of Temple; his mother, Coriene Vickers of Georgetown; a
sister, Jan Maxim and her husband Greg, of Round Rock; a sister-in-law, Barbara McDaniel and
her husband Mickey, of Taylor; a sister-in-law, Carolyn Taylor and her husband Harry, of Canyon;
an uncle, Gilbert Vickers and his wife Cleo, of Liberty Hill, and numerous nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his father, Cleddie Henderson Vickers; by his brother,
Randall Houston Vickers; by his paternal grandparents, Charlie James and Retta Mae Law
Vickers, by his maternal grandparents, H.W. and Ima Faye Yates, by an aunt, Lola Mae King; and
by uncles, C.J. “Blackie” Vickers, Herman Vickers, and Don Vickers.

Services will be held on Sunday, September 19, 2021, at 4:00 p.m. at the First United
Methodist Church of Marlin. Burial will follow at Calvary Cemetery. Pallbearers will be Scott
Vickers, Joe Wilson, Andrew Wolfe, Greg Maxim, Clayton Hall, Steve Johnson, Scott MacEwan,
Roger Nutt, and Rocky Terry.

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