Bruce Bickle
- Leigh Gerstenberger
- 5 minutes ago
- 3 min read
Happy New Year! If you regularly read Three Thoughts for Thursday, you may recall my first email of 2025 was entitled Think Differently This Year in which I shared insights garnered from my dear friend and mentor, Dr. R. Bruce Bickel.
I’ve been thinking a great deal about Bruce recently since learning of his passing on Monday, November 24th after struggling with multiple health issues over the last several years.
At the Celebration of Life Service held on Saturday, December 13th, Bruce was eulogized by six of his closest friends, several of whom enjoyed a relationship with him for over 50 years. Each of the eulogists shared that in their final conversation with Bruce, he asked them to focus their comments on his relationship with Jesus Christ which they did.
It’s impossible to talk about Bruce without referencing his strong Christian faith. For me, Bruce was a role model who daily demonstrated what I’ve come to refer to has “biz-nistry”, or how we are called to do ministry in the marketplace.
Bruce was a man of great faith, who possessed deep humility and demonstrated daily what it means to be a servant leader. He was a gifted communicator, Bible teacher and pastor, who even when not in a pulpit or at a microphone embodied the concept of, “preaching the gospel at all times and when necessary, using words”, by the way he lived his life.
Along with a chorus of others who had the opportunity be “friended” by Bruce, I will be eternally grateful for the example he constantly demonstrated of how to love God, his family, country and others, by the way he lived his life.
While it’s not possible to list the impact that Bruce had in the lives of so many people over the course of his lifetime, here are a few “highlights” that will provide insight into his life and perhaps pique your interest in learning more about my dear friend and mentor.
Quarterback at the U.S. Naval Academy
Qualified fixed wing, jet and helicopter pilot
Two tours of duty in Vietnam, re-enlisting for his second tour to ensure the ongoing success of an orphanage he became involved with during his first tour.
Shot down and survived a crash landing on the Laos/Cambodian border sustaining significant injuries that altered his career path.
Obtained his Master of Divinity and Doctor of Theology degrees from Luther Rice Seminary in Atlanta, GA and Oxford, England.
Pastored several churches and served with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes in the mid-western United States.
Business leader who was the long-time Managing Director of PNC Bank’s Private Foundation Management Services Group.
Led a Tuesday noon bible study that was initially held in one of the executive conference rooms at PNC Bank for thirty years.
Taught more than 100 “Brave Men” every Friday morning at Christ Church Grove Farm, Sewickley, PA for over 30 years.
Accomplished author and bible teacher who served as interim pastor during clergy transitions at numerous churches throughout his career.
Devoted Christ follower, husband, stepfather, grandfather and uncle.
For those of you who knew Bruce but were unable to attend his memorial service, the link can be found at the end of his obituary. https://obits.slaterfuneral.com/roger-bickel
In addition to his obituary, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette also featured a story about Bruce after his passing.
In 2007, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette published a story of a return trip Bruce made to Vietnam to help a young man he never met, heal from injuries sustained in the Vietnam War 39 years earlier.
In 2005, Bruce was interviewed on Family Life Today about his experiences in Vietnam. This two-part interview entitled Finding God in Vietnam, recounts lessons learned from a Vietnamese orphan and his recollections of being shot down in Vietnam. The links to both segments can be found below.