Obituary of John Arthur Pickel

John Arthur Pickel, 92, passed away peacefully May 11, 2021 with Audrey, his wife of 67 years at his side.Jack is survived by Audrey Eileen (Parkinson) Pickel, children Bob (Barb), Bill (Lee), Mary (Ken Gibbs), Hugh (Debbie), and Allan (Pamela). Loving grandfather to Laurel (Luke) Kittmer, Jasmine (Adam) Moulton, Timothy, Jessica (Stefan Franke), Daniel (Jazmine Tufford), Burton (Nicole), Charlotte (Kaitlin Quinlan), Priya, and Eliana, and great grandchildren June, Ada, Avery, Rowan, and Brynlee.Brother to George (Dorothy). Lovingly remembered by many nieces, nephews, and cousins.Predeceased by an infant daughter, Ruth Elizabeth, parents Walter and Dora (Matthews), brothers Paddy, Jim, and Harold (Lois), in-laws Fred and Butsy Parkinson, Dave and Ruth Parkinson, Ken and Madeline Parkinson, Marion and Ken Hill, and grandson-in-law Geir Utskot.Jack was born on the Pickel’s Century Farm in West Nissouri Twp on July 19, 1928. He grew up in a sports-loving (especially baseball), farming family and, like his father and brother before him, married the teacher of the Wellburn School.After their marriage in 1953, he and Audrey lived and farmed on the south river road in Blanshard Twp., raising their family and instilling in them a passion for sports, a love of learning, and a loyalty to family. They raised their children with a faith exemplified through Jack’s faithful attendance and involvement at First Baptist Church.Jack was very proud of his Holstein dairy herd and his accomplishment of achieving his Master Breeder’s Shield in 1986, the most prestigious award a Holstein breeder can attain. Jack was responsible for teaching his kids and grandkids about things like weaning a calf, Bob Feller’s fastball, the Splendid Splinter’s (Ted Williams) perfect swing, the superiority of International Harvester tractors, Chryslers, how to “talk” to cows, and how to make you feel happy about losing to him in a game of cards. He had an uncanny knack for finding any four-leaf clovers in his acres of pasture. Jack was a man of stories and these stories will live on through those he told them to. He was very proud of his family’s work, sporting, musical, and educational accomplishments.The Pickel family would like to sincerely thank the wonderful people at Kingsway Lodge for their unwavering care and support of Jack in his final years.A private family graveside service will be conducted at the St. Marys Cemetery on Saturday, May 15, 2021 at 2 p.m. with Rev. Dr. Mark McKim officiating. The service will be streamed on Facebook Live through the Andrew L. Hodges Funeral Home Facebook page.In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Jack’s name to First Baptist Church, the Canadian Foodgrains Bank, or the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame