Bickford, Edward J.

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Part of Bickford, Edward J.

Title: Bickford, Edward J.
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R ev. Edwara tsickford,

Obituary
EV. EDWARD B I CKFORD was
born at Liskeard. England, January
10, 1860, and passed into the heavenly
life F ebruary 17, 1933, from the Hurley
hospital in Flint. vVe do not think or
speak of him a s dead for such as h e do
n ot die. Alfred Tennyso n speaks correctly:
·

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"For I mus t be im mortal,
Not doomed to die, bu t surely called to
live
Here and hereafter by His loving will
Who placed m e where I am."
He came to America at about twentyone years of age. Forty years ago t his
coming Fall he began his mini stry in the
M ethodist Episcopal church and for fifteen year s did such effective work as a
local preache r supply pastor, on seven
charges, forming Sunday Schools, conducting preaching services as a m issionary skypilot in the great neglected s ect ions of the Upper Peninsula, then five
years as pastor at Centennial, Calumet,
and three years at National Mine, Ishpeming, that twenty-five years ago,
though past the age for reception on
trial he was welcomed into probationary
membersh ip a nd became in due time an
effective elder in the Detroit Conference,
In the M inutes of 1908 under the question, "Who have bee n received on tria l
in s tudies of the first year?" we find the
following names : Louis Keast, Sidney
D. Eva, Thomas E. Collis ter, Frank
Copela nd, Wm. H. Nicholson, Arthur
Wes ley, E. B. Fish, Henry Schofield,
Clifford Doty, Edwa rd Bickford, Milton
F. McKenney, Ezra A. Stringer, vVm. A.
Gregory, ]. Spencer Smith. The Co nference was held in First church, Calumet,
of wh ich R ev. Ephriam Sedweek was
pastor . B ishop John W. Hamilton presided. Bishop Hamilton appointed him
to Rockland, and in the succeed in g year s
he served the following charges: Be?senter, Ironwood, L 'Anse, Crystal Falls,
Swartz Creek, Davisburg.
Som ething of hi s acceptabi li ty as pastor
and preacher may b e judged from the
length of hi s pastorates. He won the
hearts of his people. He served one pastorate of s ix years, two of five, one of
four, four of three, one o f o ne. He was
not a one or two-year man.
Bro ther Bickford was a man of prayer,
he loved the Word of God, li H d in its
precep ts and preached its truth. Living
in fell owsh ip with hi s Lord he had a
high cou rage to carry on in the face of
difficulties. I:;Ie had the joy of a conquering mini stry and many entered into
the victorious life in Christ und er his
leaders hip.

On December 26, 1888, he was married
i\[i ss Adelaide Sobey at Rep ublic,
~[ich iga n. Through a ll these years of his
ministry she has been a true helper. Their
home was ope n to young and o ld. T he ir
affection for and interest in t he you th
and little chi ldre n never abated and this
was reciprocated by the childre n of this
Davisb urg cha rge as well a s t he adults.
A daug hter, M rs. Ronald F. Tucker of
Detroit, and a son, George E. Bickford
of Dayton, with their mother will cherish
the memory of this husband and father,
who loving them without sti nt took the
worl d into his heart and gave hims elf as
a faithful minister of Jesus Christ to this
s upreme task of bri nging the Kingdom
of Heave n among me n.
T he fun eral services were held at D avisburg , Monday, Feb. 20, at 2 p. m. Rev.
T. S. Bottrell of Cass City led in the
prayer at the house. I n the service at
the church Rev. R. T. K il patrick read the
Old Testament lesson and Rev. D. C.
Littlejohn the New Testament leson . The
prasyer was offered by Rev. Sidney D.
Eva. Resolution s of appreciation of t he
ministry of Bro. Bickford, as adopted by
the Da visburg church, were read by Rev.
C. H. Morga n who has been preaching
at Davisburg during Bro. Bickford's sickness. Rev. W. H. Collycott spoke his
appreciation of his long time friend a nd
brother pastor. The services were in
charge of District Superintendent Dunning I dle, who brough t a message from
Matthew 25:21: "'Nell clone, good and
faithful se rvant." T he mus ic was provided by the Davisburg choir.
The church was filled with Davisburg
and other friends, many coming from
Swa rtz Creek, a former charge. Mor e
than twenty of the ministers o f the district were in a ttendance. The pallbearer s
were: Rev. W. P. Schlitts, Rev. Stanley
S tone, Rev. T . E . Coll ister, Rev. Ira
Cargo, Rev. H . A. Leeson, Rev. H . F.
Swartzkopf.
The in terment was at
Rochester, Michigan.-Dunning Idle.
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