Ralph Herbert Bickel passed away in Boca Raton, Florida on May 9, 2026.  Mr. Bickel was born in Frankenmuth, Michigan on June 19, 1930, the youngest son of Ernst and Florence and was baptized into the Christian faith, and confirmed at Zion Lutheran Church in Hemlock, Michigan.   At the age of fourteen, he went to River Forest, Illinois to attend Concordia Lutheran High School and later, Concordia Teachers College (Concordia, Chicago) where he met Mary Jane Goff. 

Upon graduation in 1952, Ralph and Mary were married and several days later moved to Delray Beach, Florida where he became the first Principal of Trinity Lutheran School which thrived under his leadership.  While in Delray Beach, Ralph and Mary were blessed with five children, David, Martha, Mary Beth, Kathy and Mark.  Later, Ralph served for five years as Director of Christian Education at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Lima, Ohio.

In 1970, Ralph was Called by Advent Lutheran Church in Boca Raton, Florida, to be the founding Principal of Advent Lutheran School which also thrived under his leadership.  Ralph retired in 1994, but only briefly as he was asked to return to fill the Principal vacancy when his colleague in ministry was diagnosed with cancer.  Over the course of his teaching ministry, Ralph impacted the lives of thousands of students and their families with his strong faith and Christian witness.

Mary passed away suddenly in 2003.  After fifty-one years of marriage, the faith in Christ that carried him through the effects of the Great Depression and the sudden passing of his father as a young boy provided the strength needed to move forward again.

God blessed Ralph again when he met and married Nancy Scantland with whom he enjoyed twenty-three years of marriage.

Ralph was a loving husband, father, and grandfather and great-grandfather who was committed to serving the Lord in all things. He loved his family dearly and those God placed in his path along the way.

Ralph is survived by his wife Nancy, his children David (Sandra), Martha (Don), Mary Beth (Mark), Kathy (Brian) and Mark (Meg), and his stepson, Terry Johnson (Mia).  He was blessed with nineteen grandchildren and twenty-three great grandchildren who lovingly called him Grampy.

 A Celebration of Life will be held at Advent Church, 300 E. Yamato Road, Boca Raton FL, June 13 at 10:30am.  A reception will follow the committal at the Columbarium.

The family thanks you for your prayers and expressions of Christian love. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in memory of Ralph may be made to Trinity Lutheran School, 400 N. Swinton Avenue, Delray Beach, FL and Advent School, 300 E. Yamato Road, Boca Raton, FL.