Mr. Charles Kenneth Bickel, born on October 4, 1926, age 94 of Manchester, Tennessee passed from this life on November 29, 2020 suddenly at Vanderbilt Medical Center in Nashville following heart stint surgery.
Mr. Bickel was preceded in death by his parents Orley Amos and Alice Hazel Richeson Bickel, older brother Roy Gordon Bickel, his first wife Joy Rose Atnip Bickel, and second wife Ruby Jean Jernigan Williams Bickel.
He is survived by his daughter Brenda Joy Bickel Lewis of Murfreesboro, TN, two sons, Bill Williams and wife Carol of Lynchburg, Tennessee, Bob Williams of Manchester, TN, one brother Lloyd Bickel and wife Phyllis Bickel of St. Petersburg, FL, two grandchildren Jared Lewis, wife Candice and great-grandson Landen of Woodbury, TN, and Crystal McKinney of Woodbury, TN.
Mr. Bickel attended the Hopewell (Pocahontas) one room school house up through the 8th grade. He graduated in 1947 from the Manchester Coffee County Central High. He joined the army during the Korean War and served at Fort Benning, GA as a mechanics instructor (he always said it was the best job he ever had). After the army, he farmed full time and had a few milk cows for 12 years. Charles then went to work at A.E.R.O for a few years. For 20 years he worked for the Dept. of Agriculture covering the Mid-Tenn counties inspecting seed, feed, and fertilizer and then transferring to the weights and measure area. During all these years he continued farming part time raising row crops and beef cattle. He said his farm wasn’t that big but it was a cute little farm with trees surrounding each field. He had continued to raise beef cattle and enjoyed the farm life, riding around checking fences, and feeding the cattle. He never sat still, but was piddling all the time doing something which is probably what he lived to the age of 94. He also loved riding his motor cycle from his youth, then riding a four wheeler up until his dying day. He also had a great interest in old cars.
He always had a story to tell to anyone who would listen, and loved to talk to people and make them laugh. He had a great love for his family, and church. He was there every Sunday the doors were open. Charles was one of a kind and will be truly missed by his loved ones.
Visitation will be held at the Coffee County Funeral Chapel located at 786 McMinnville Highway Manchester, TN 37355 on Saturday December 5th from 2:00 – 6:00 pm.
We are requesting that everyone who plans to attend the visitation or his service on Sunday, please wear a mask along with using hand sanitizer before entering the visitation area at the chapel and the sanctuary of the church. Hand Sanitizer will be available and masks will be provided at the funeral home and church if you do not have one. Several of our family members have autoimmune health issues and we ask to respect our decision to take these precautionary measures to remain healthy during these difficult times.
Funeral services for Mr. Charles Kenneth Bickel will be conducted at Ivy Bluff United Methodist Church, 8597 Ivy Bluff Rd., Morrison, TN 37357 (located on the corner of Ivy Bluff Road and Houston Parker Road). The church is located approximately 2 miles off of Highway 53, 12 miles north of Manchester in Cannon County.
His body will arrive at the church at approximately 10:30 am, and the casket will remain closed. A slide show presentation of his life will run from 10:30 until the service begins at 12:00 pm in the sanctuary. The family will celebrate Charles’s life by sharing stories and our family experiences.
Burial services will be conducted at 2:00 in the Whorton Springs Cemetery in Dekalb County (2 ½ miles south of Smithville on Highway 56) arriving before 2:00 pm. Grave side services will be presented by Rev. Danny Freeman. Pall barriers will be Mark Lewis (Jared’s father), Jared Lewis (grandson), Bill Williams (son), Tom Heath (husband of niece), Jeremy and Justin Heath (great-nephews).
In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting that donations be made to the Ivy Bluff United Methodist Church. Charles attended the church every Sunday giving his support and his father Orley Bickel was on the building committee for construction of the previous church structure destroyed by fire. Orley provided the services of sawing the lumber from the trees donated by the farmers at his Bickel Brother’s Sawmill to construct the church. It has been our family’s home church for over 100 years.
