A resident of Amite, he died at 6:20 p.m. on Wednesday, July 27, 2011 at Hood Memorial Hospital in Amite. He was born December 14, 1947 in Alexandria and was 63 years of age. He served as a helicopter pilot for the U. S. Army during Vietnam and was a retired Lieutenant of the Monroe Police Department. He is survived by his wife, Leann Yarbrough Pickens, Amite; 2 sons, Jamey Pickens and his wife, Roz, Murfreesboro, TN and Scott Pickens and his wife, Ashley, Kentwood; 4 grandchildren; mother, Kthleen Gregg Pickens, Baton Rouge; sister, Pamela Davis, Denham Springs; brother, Gregg Pickens, Kinder; 5 nieces and 1 nephew. Preceded in death by his father, Charles L. Pickens; nephew, Gregg Owen Pickens; mother-in-law, Agnes Rhodes. Memorial contributions may be made to the Humane Society or St. Jude Children’s Hospital. A memorial service will be held at a later date.