OBITUARY

Name:    Henry Floyd Bickford

From:  The Montana Standard, Butte, Montana
Date:  Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Henry Floyd Bickford died peacefully Saturday morning, Feb. 12, 2011, in St. James Healthcare from complications due to diabetes.

He was born in Havre on Jan. 16, 1939, to Henry and Mary (Smith) Bickford. He married Shirley Hamilton in July 1958 and they had three children, Jody Bickford, Shelly Bickford Anderson and Jay Floyd Bickford.

Floyd moved his family to Butte in 1963, when he was transferred by his employer at the time, the Havre J.C. Penney store. Floyd worked many jobs in Butte, including stints as an insurance agent, security officer, prison guard, laborer and miner. He also worked at the Safeway milk plant and Thompson Distributing. In 1978, Floyd moved to Billings with Mary (Schonsberg) Bickford, and they married in 1986, the year they moved back to Butte to be closer to their children.

He retired from the state and spent much of his spare time four-wheeling, fishing and bird hunting with his family, especially his closest nephew, Mike Miller.

Floyd played football for the State Champion Havre High football team in 1955, and was a member of the Blue Pony High School choir. He loved attending his grandkids' sporting events and was their biggest fan. "Open a can of whoopass" was a phrase heard often. Floyd also spent six months at Fort Knox, Ky., and was in the National Guard Army Reserve for four years.

Floyd was preceded in death by his parents; older brothers, Max, Russell and Steve Bickford; sisters, Mildred (Bickford) Coe, Tressa (Bickford) Staples and Peggy (Bickford) Warner; nephew, Steve Bickford; and in-laws and close friends, Al and Julia Caprara.

He is survived by his wife, Mary; children, Jody Bickford, Shelly Bickford (Jim) Anderson and Jay Bickford; grandchildren, Jake and John Henry Anderson; brother, Wade (Kathy) Bickford; stepchildren, Carla (Doug) Caldwell and Pete (Lisa) Schonsberg; step-grandchildren, Keri and Kyle Caldwell, and Luke, Marcus, Sam and Matthew Schonsberg; close niece, Mary Beth Dahlin; lifelong best friend, Bill Seal; and numerous great-nieces and -nephews.

Floyd had a unique sense of humor that everyone loved, and even during the toughest of times, he never had a bad day.

A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday at Gold Hill Lutheran Church. A reception will follow. Memorials may be made to the American Diabetes Association or American Heart Association.