Derek Jon Bickel, age 56, passed away suddenly on September 2, 2026. Born on February 14, Valentine’s Day in 1970, Derek spent his life embodying the very love and warmth of his birthdate.

Derek was universally known amongst family and friends as having a generous heart, gentle soul and adorned kindness. He cherished his close-knit circle of family and friends immensely. 

Derek spent his childhood growing up in Jackson, Michigan, where he attended Western High School in Parma, graduating with the Class of 1988. Immediately following high school, he answered the call to serve his country by joining the United States Air Force.

A natural leader from the start, he was issued the Communication/Navigation Systems Specialist honor by the Lackland Air Force Base Commander in December 1988, earning the prestigious Honor Graduate Ribbon upon completing Basic Training—a distinction awarded to only the top five percent of graduates. He was honorably discharged following his proud military service. Later in life, Derek furthered his education by earning an associate’s degree in business administration and management.

After completing his military service, Derek relocated to Santa Rosa, California, where he lived for most of his adult life. He built a successful, multi-decade career in the banking, mortgage, and real estate industries.

In 2025, after having health issues, Derek made the move to Massachusetts, embarking on a new chapter to be closer to his immediate family.

Derek is survived by his adored sisters, Amy Jo Hagar and Stacia Lee Bickel; beloved stepsisters, Ginger (Michael) Petrat and Molli Varga; dear aunt Rebecca Rowley Guynn; precious niece, Brittney Stacia Gulakos, cherished nephew, Alexander Pierce Gulakos; dear cousin, Gail Robinson; and beloved friend Laura Mitchell.

His memory will live on in the hearts of his family, his friends, and the many colleagues he mentored and supported throughout his life.

Matthew 6:10 -- “Let your Kingdom Come. Let your will take place as in heaven Also on earth.”

Daniel 12:2 -- "And many of those asleep in the dust of the earth will wake up."

Psalm 37 :29 -- “The righteous will possess the earth, and they will live forever on it.”

Memories from his friends and family: 

“One of the first thoughts that came to mind is how resourceful he was from the very beginning of his life. I remember when he was 3 years old, I walked into the kitchen, and he opened a box of chocolate pudding and poured all the milk from the carton into the bowl. Fortunately, for him, it turned out perfect with the measurements! He even used an electric mixer! Another time when Derek was 5 years old, he took our lawn mower over to the neighbors and started mowing her lawn. When the neighbor came out, she asked him what he was doing, and he said I am mowing your lawn so I can get paid. She paid him and told him never to come back! (I'm sure he did a terrible job at 5 years old!) Then he proceeded to walk his little legs a 1/2 mile down to the store and bought himself something to eat. I'm proud of him, he was industrious! Derek went from collecting pop bottles to mortgages to buying and selling real estate. He was self-made.

Derek also had a very generous heart. One year at Christmas, he was maybe 10 years old. I was around 13. That year our parents bought two stereos, one for our older sister, and one for him. I didn't get one. I was told I was bad. I was so sad. Derek, my little brother, said to me, "You can have mine." He had my heart forever from that point.

Derek came to Massachusetts after having two strokes and a heart attack. At that time, we did not know he had had the strokes. It was diagnosed recently before he died. Even not feeling well, he made a mean steak! He did a beautiful job mowing the lawn, watering the flowers and feeding the birds. He loved the beach, all the people mentioned in this obituary, and probably a few more that I didn't know to contact.

He also had a great sense of humor. After he came to Massachusetts, I was recovering from spinal surgery and he had two strokes. As I came limping out into the living room, he said "here comes gimpy, and I'm tardo." he said that as he clapped his hands together elbows flexed like a seal! We developed it into the gimpy and tardo show! We took the worst of the situation and made it hysterical. I wanted to put it on YouTube and charge a dollar per click. But he didn't think it was very politically correct. I'm sure he was right about that.

I will miss him until the day I can see him again. For now, rest in peace, brother,”  Amy Hagar, sister.

“Derek was a deeply kind and intellectual man who possessed a rare gift: the ability to truly listen and enlighten those around him through deep, meaningful conversation. He carried a natural, calming effect into every room he entered.

Growing up, he loved to pick on my sister and me, since we were younger and he was the youngest of three children before our parents married. He’d call us funny names, whirl us around in pillowcases, play board games and would make us our favorite snacks.

As I grew older, I looked to him as a role model in my teen years and early 20s. He took me to my first concert, offered me a place to stay over a summer between college semesters and would always offer to cook dinner on nights I worked late. We watched Seinfeld together every week in the late 90s – it was his favorite show.

I will never forget so many fond memories, from taking road trip adventures to having heart-to-heart conversations on the sofa, Derek was always there no matter the occasion,”  said Ginger Petrat, stepsister.

“Derek was a fun, protective, and loving big brother. He tried teaching me many things from piano, electrical work, hooking up stereos, while I tried getting him into sports (the one thing he didn’t care to enjoy!) I guess we both had our own personal interests, but he tried to act interested in mine and I was trying to learn his music and many interests he loved to teach me, physics, statistics, music, hands on electronics, cooking, cards, among many others like jokes, driving and more…he just loved to teach! 

He tried to be a great big brother, he knew we had a large age gap and yet, needed to go live his life.

He tried protecting us from everything he possibly could but had his own life to move onto. I wish we all could have stayed closer – life just took over and we all got busy. Glad we did see him in 2005, and that he met most of my kids. Just wish we kept closer. I will miss my brother. Derek had a huge impact on my life growing up and glad he was there to teach me and make me laugh. He will forever be missed and always be in my heart!” said Molli Varga, stepsister.

“Derek at five years old certainly left an impression. Seeing that his oldest sister’s record player was broken, he offered to fix it. And he did! Much to her amazement and surprise.” said Stacia Bickel, sister.

“With everything that Derek was going through with his health, he maintained poise and behaviors of a gentleman and would always greet you with his Hollywood smile,” said a close Veteran friend.

“He was a beloved nephew who will be greatly missed,” said Becky Guynn, aunt.

“Derek was a generous and kind uncle who made us feel welcome. He will live on in our memories,” said his niece Brittney Gulakos and nephew Alex Gulakos.

“Derek had a heart of gold. When Jen and I went to San Francisco he organized the whole trip for us from places to see to places to stay. All I can say was that spending time with him was so much fun before he sold his townhouse and started living in Airbnb's. He was as smart as he was kind,” said Gail Robinson, cousin.

“It is a rainy, and damp day on the shores of Lake Michigan. As I sit and feel the memories of my beloved, dear friend, Derek J. Bickel. There are so many emotions that are running through me, along with decades of memories that we experienced and shared together. I think I will start with one of the most amazing evenings that I experienced in my life.

Derek had surprised me with Elton John Tickets during the fall of 1993. I was elated! I was always a closet Elton John fan since my early childhood years. He was one of the few people that knew that little fun fact about me. He called me up on the phone to tell me that I needed to drive home because he bought tickets for the concert. A month later, I drove from the shores of Lake Superior to Jackson for the weekend. The moment finally happened. We got all dressed up and drove to Lansing to attend the Elton John concert at the Breslin Center on the campus of M.S.U. We were fifteen minutes late and we ran into the stadium and found our seats. Elton John did not have his band there that evening. It was just his piano and he was singing all the familiar songs that we all grew up hearing on the radio. We were not a couple, but we were so happy and we held hands, sang, and danced. We sang our hearts out that night. An hour and a half passed and we thought the concert was over, but it was just a ten-minute intermission. We grabbed a drink during the intermission and promptly went back to our seats for another two-hour show with Elton John and Ray Cooper. It wasn’t long before we were up out of our seats, holding hands, singing and dancing. I did not want that night to end. That night never did end. I think of that night often and wish Derek and I could talk about that night, and how happy we were singing and dancing together.

Many years passed when I had a dream that Derek was on a Rocket looking out to us waving to all of us. He truly is my Rocket Man. His Rocket has launched and he is no longer with us on earth, and I have to believe that he is in heaven, healing his body, and waiting for all of us to join him. I want to share more stories and pack them up on the rocket with him, and I will stay here on earth with those memories to carry with me for the rest of my life. 

During our high school years, we were neighborhood friends. We had two sets of friends during those years, but we always found time to hang out with each other. Our friend, Heather Leece lived next door to him, and I live around the corner. One year, I had the bright idea that I would tee-pee his front yard along with Heather’s house. Neither Derek nor Heather gave me the thrill of listening to their pain as they had to clean up soggy toilet paper from their front yards. The payback was enormous, however. Both were tasked to rake their yards after the leaves fell. Derek and Heather decided to rake up their leaves onto these giant plastic sheets. They waited until Midnight on Halloween night and dragged those huge sheets of plastic to my yard. I knew something would be up. I did not hear the wrestling of the plastic or all the hardwood leaves that they eagerly spread throughout my yard. I did not hear that, but I heard the thunk of toilet paper falling from the evergreen tree in front of my house. I went to bed that night in my clothes, and as soon as I heard the thunk, I ran down the steps and flew out the door and caught Heather. Derek was long gone. He came back because he was that kind of friend to take the fall when his friend Heather was getting an earful from me. My mom came outside and told them that they would be helping me on Saturday to rake the leaves. Saturday morning came, and Derek showed up before the scheduled time and half of the front yard raked before Heather got there, and I got outside to help with the yard task. I don’t think we ever talked about it after that. It is a memory that speaks to me now.

Derek was a friend. I talked to his sister Amy and laughed and said that real love is experiencing and participating in someone’s life during the most difficult times. I cannot tell you how many times that Derek was such a soulful friend to me. Earlier in my teaching career, my Head Start Center had a lice epidemic. I caught lice and my ex-husband, and I were living in the basement of my father’s house. I was scared to come home with lice. I went to Derek’s house with a bottle of tea tree oil and a lice comb. I knocked on the door and Derek saw the comb and laughed. He led me to the bathroom, where I proceeded to dump the bottle of tea tree oil onto my head. It dripped down into my eyes, and Derek was running for towels to mop up my mess that I was creating. He was kind and spent two hours picking through my hair looking for knits. Most friends would have said “Good luck” but Derek endured my mess. This is love! This is a kind of friendship that lasts for decades, and for now eternity.

I can’t think of the many times that I moved, and he was right there to help me move. The times that my worn-out car broke down on my way back from Marquette, to Jackson. He was there with a fix-it kit, drive me home, or have my car towed.

During my college years I had a studio on the mouth of the Chocolay River and Lake Superior. The location was great, but the studio apartment was filled with mold, and I was sick all the time. I would drive home from college to spend the weekend with Derek, and I would be sick on his couch for days with bronchitis. He took care of me. He drove me to the doctor’s office, picked up my medications, cooked for me, and made sure I was comfortable. During these times, I felt warm, loved, and at home with him in his house. These are traits of a good friend. The weekends, vacations, and daily life in Jackson, led me to Derek’s house for some antics of laughing at something, or things that were wrong in the world. His sense of humor always lifted me up with his impressions of people, places, and things. He would remain in character and then his intellect would come out, and he would use big words that he must have spent years studying the dictionary.

When Derek bought his house in Jackson, I was there many mornings, days, and nights helping him restore his house. I only wished I could have done more for him, but there was always a hammer, screwdriver, saw, or another piece of equipment that I would use to help him with the restoration of his house. When he moved to California, he did the same thing to some of his houses. He was always improving his house.

Speaking of improving his homes, he also was a person who took care of himself. He was always studying food, and the benefits that food nourished our bodies. Every time I called him, or visited him, he was always blending or cooking up food, herbs, and drinks to supply our bodies with extra support. He was always working on ways to improve his life, and how to be fit. He worked out daily and had a strong body to show his efforts.

When I got married, Derek came to my co-ed wedding shower. He was a little unaware that it was a co-ed shower, but he showed up and gave us a beautiful wedding photo album. He gave us the gift of being the photographer for our wedding. The night before the wedding he and our friend Colin went to the bachelor’s party while I was toiling with my bridesmaids, working on the final details of the wedding. I was not a happy camper. There was not a term for it in 1995, but by today’s standards I was a bridezilla. I called the hotel room many times, and Derek eased me into thinking that it would be OK. He called from the locations that these men visited and assured me throughout the night that Mr. Groom was behaving himself.

The next morning my bridesmaids and I went out for breakfast before we headed to the Boy Scout camp where I would be getting married. My car died in front of my townhouse. I was hysterical. As I was melting down, Derek and Colin showed up in Derek’s rental car. Colin was driving and Derek was sitting in the passenger seat with the seat tipped way back. Colin told us to calm down and get in the car. We had eight people in the car and I was freaking out, and Derek in his hungover state of consciousness held my hand and told me that it would all work out. Well, the wedding did work but not the marriage. 

Derek was living in Santa Rosa, California and my ex-husband and I would go out to visit. He was dating a lady by the name of Katie and we got to know her and enjoyed spending time with them. Our vacations were spent at Derek’s house and seeing the state of California. We traveled to many of the national parks, and spent lots of time in Sonoma County, wine tasting. Both my ex-husband and I grew to love wine and became wine snobs from what Derek taught us.

As I stated before, the wedding survived but not the marriage. When I told Derek what the marriage was like and the details of the reasons why we were divorcing, his response was “Why don’t you move out to California and stay with me. You can work for a year, get your residency and go back to school to get your teaching certificate. I will hire a truck and load your stuff on it and come out. You know that there are wonderful rivers for you to paddle out here too.” That was a decision that was placed upon my walls during my divorce. I could stay home and go to school, go teach in Korea, or move out to California and live with Derek and go to school. I made the decision deep into the night that my healing from my divorce and my future was right in my backyard. I made the choice to stay in Ypsilanti, MI and go to school at Eastern Michigan University. A decision that I have spent thinking through the past two decades of what if I went to California? What would my life be like if I went to California? Derek and I sure would have had more time to do more antics and laugh. We communicated frequently over the phone, but as time went on the phone calls stopped.

Many years passed, and I found Derek on Facebook thanks to our friend, Sherry Phillips. She found him when he made a Facebook profile to sell some stuff on Facebook Market Place. His profile showed up one day as I was walking out of my school. My phone slipped and fell to the ground. When I picked it up the Facebook application was open on my phone and I saw Derek’s picture. I started to cry, and I dropped my big bags from my classroom down onto the ground and my hands shook as I typed out a message that I had been trying to find him. Like old times, he responded to my message within an hour. He told me that he made a move across the country to live near his sister, Amy. He said he was living near Boston, MA. That was my last contact with Derek before he passed away. I always thought that we would connect again and continue our antics of life. I hope he knows that I love him dearly, and there has not been a day that I have not stopped thinking of him. I will keep these memories close to my heart for the rest of my life. I love you, Derek. May we connect again,” said Laura Mitchell, a close lifelong friend.