- Date Of Birth: March 14, 1933
- Date Of Death: December 27, 2013
- State: Indiana
Born Mar 14, 1933 in Harrison County, Indiana and passed away December 27, 2013 at the age of 80. A loving and generous husband, father, grandfather and friend, he passed away at home in sleep after a long and brave battle with cancer. Don married Mary Alice Mitchell in Crawfordsville on August 7, 1955.
He is survived by his loving wife, Mary Alice, three children, Jeff (Barb) Bickel of Crawfordsville, Kris Shireman of St. Petersburg, FL and Mark (Missie) Bickel of Crawfordsville, five grandchildren, George Shireman, Lauren Bickel, Elizabeth Bickel, Dietrich Shireman and Gus Bickel as well as a sister, Barb (Sam) Lander of Corydon, Indiana and two nephews and their families. During his life Don was very active in the community participating in many outdoor organizations and a long-time member of the Outdoor Writers Association with a weekly column, “Outdoors” featured in the Journal-Review.
He was an active member of Christ Lutheran Church, the Coal Creek chapter of Pheasants Forever where he received the Aldo Leopold Conservation Award in 1998 and taught the outdoor conservation program for local fourth graders for many years. He was also a member of Master Gardeners and the Montgomery County Historical Society. Don was one of the founding member of the NICHES Land Trust and was a local and state judge for Indiana 4H for many years. As an outdoor writer, Don received the Indiana Wildlife Conservation Communicator award in 2009. Don graduated from Purdue University in 1956 earning his degree in Forestry.
He served in the Army at Belvoir, Virginia from 1956 to 1958. After his service in the Army, he moved to Bluffton, Indiana where he was a District Forester and owner of The Toll Gate Nursery and Greenhouse until 1969. He then moved to Crawfordsville where he worked for the Indiana Department of Transportation as Landscape Supervisor until he retired in 1995.
During his life Don enjoyed many outdoor activities including hunting, fishing, trapping, making maple syrup and spending time with Mother Nature. Don was predeceased by his parents, George and Gertrude Bickel, a daughter, Susan Bickel, and son-in-law, Richard Shireman.
