Former Grand Lake resident John "Jack" Bickel, 81, of Newark, died at 11 a.m. July 6, 2006, at Licking Memorial Hospital, Newark.

He was born Jan. 30, 1925, in Newark, to George and Roseanne Dennison Bickel. On July 17, 1948, he married Charlotte Gilbert, who died October 10, 1993.

Survivors are two sons, Dennis (Maryellen), Roswell, Ga., and Drew (Susan), Fairfield, Conn.; a sister-in-law, Margaret (Killeen), Newark; and seven grandchildren.

Deceased are three brothers, Andy, Jim and Bill; two sisters, Grace Bickel and Bernice O'Toole; and the man who raised him after the death of his parents, George Dennison.

He was a football coach at St. Marys Memorial High School and Piqua High School, and was the founding football coach at Newark Catholic High School. He worked at Kaiser Aluminum in both Newark and Portsmouth, R.I. He was a U.S. Army veteran of World War II, serving with the 82nd Airborne in the Japanese theater. He was a 1944 graduate of Newark High School and Miami University. He was a member of the Newark Elks, Veterans of Foreign Wars, American Legion, Lions Club, and was recently voted as the St. Francis representative to the Newark Catholic School Board.

Funeral Mass is 11 a.m. Thursday at St. Francis de Sales Catholic Church, Newark, the Revs. Ed Keck and Subler officiating. Burial is at Cedar Hill Cemetery, Newark, with full military honors provided by the Licking County Veteran's Alliance.

Calling is 2-4 and 7-9 p.m. Wednesday at Reed-Egan Funeral Home, Newark.

Contributions can be made to the Newark Catholic Foundation.

Condolences can be sent at www.reedegan.com.