Obituary of Eunice Bickel

Eunice Laura Bickel entered heaven’s gates on November 12, 2022 at the age of 88. She is now in the presence of the Lord Jesus whom she loved. Eunice was the youngest of the 11 children of Guy and Emma Aldrich of Breckenridge, Minnesota. Being the youngest she was a bit of a dare devil, always trying to keep up with her older siblings. Eunice married young but her marriage didn’t last. She raised Dennis on her own until she met Harold Bickel. They were married on November 29, 1955. They moved to Goldendale shortly after their daughter LaNnae was born, then to Wishram, and eventually moved to Maryhill where they lived for almost 60 years. Their son Greg was born in Goldendale. Later they adopted Charlie. They celebrated 65 years together just a few months before Harold passed away. Charlie continues to live with LaNnae. Eunice had a variety of jobs through her life. She waited tables, ran the Artic Circle in Goldendale for several years, sold World Book Encyclopedias, drove special education students for the Goldendale school district, and drove for the Mount Adams Transportation Service. The job that she enjoyed the most, and probably made the greatest impact, was being a foster parent. Harold and Eunice became foster parents when Charlie was placed in their home at the age of two. They eventually adopted Charlie who had a huge impact on their lives and was instrumental in both Eunice and Harold accepting Jesus as their personal Savior. Over the next two decades they fostered 35 children and finally began a ministry to single mothers, helping them learn how to parent their children. Their love for children extended to the kids at church. Once Eunice accepted Jesus as her Savior, church became an important part of her life. She loved attending, serving and helping others at church. You could usually find her in the kitchen. She loved greeting and was known for her amazing smile. She also enjoyed inviting guest to her home for meals. Anyone that knew mom would agree that the number one wish she had was that everyone could fall in love with Jesus as she had. She wanted everyone to know the joy and the change that Jesus brought her. Eunice was mother to Dennis, LaNnae, Greg and Charlie. She was grandma to Mackenzie, Whitney (Dennis’s children), Kindra, Nathan, Kevin (LaNnae’s children) Samantha and Bradley (Greg’s children). In addition, she loved being great grandma to her 12 great grandchildren. Her sister Arlene Richter is the only surviving sibling. Eunice’s Celebration of Life service will be held at the Grace Community Church on Saturday, December 3 at 1 pm. In lieu of flowers, memorial funds can be given to Grace Community Church in Goldendale (https://goldendalegrace.com/online-giving/) or Mission Aviation Fellowship (www.maf.org/donations).