Maurice "Buck" Leon Bickley

Maurice Buck Leon Bickley, 70, passed away unexpectedly at his home in Whittier on Friday, May 4, 2018 due to complications with his health. Born on August 1, 1947 in Charlottesville, Virginia, Maurice was born to his parents William Morris Bickley & Nellie Gray (Smith) Bickley. In 1983, Maurice married the love of his life, Melanie D. Ford, and they enjoyed 35 wonderful years of marriage together. The passing of Maurice comes as a deep, heartfelt loss to his family, his community and all who knew the great Buck Bickley.

Maurice grew up in Charlottesville, Virginia until the age of 18. At his earliest opportunity, he joined the United States Air Force to travel the world. His most notable time in the service was during the early 1970s when he was stationed in Japan. It was here that he became involved with the Navigators (a Christian-based ministry) and turned his life to The Lord. Maurice was forever a changed man. Maurice attained the rank of Sergeant in the military before being honorably discharged. He served his country faithfully.

After his discharge from the Air Force, he established his roots in California. He attended Cal Poly Pomona and completed a degree in Mechanical Engineering. This training would serve him well throughout is life as Maurice had an incredible gift for understanding how things worked. He could disassemble and reassemble anything with ease. One of his other notable traits was that Buck was always prepared for anything. He was always teased for having an endless amount of gadgets affectionately known by Melanie as her Gadget Guy. But Maurices talent for understanding how things worked was not confined to simply mechanical things. He was a great observer of people and relational dynamics. He was not one to speak all the timebut when he did, you listened. Maurices devotion to understanding how things worked and preparing for any number of situations was his way of keeping those he loved safe.

Maurice is survived by his loving wife, Melanie; his siblings, Margie & William; and countless friends whose lives he touched.