Amanda R. Bickett

As a wife, mother, daughter, grandmother, great-grandmother, and godmother, Amanda Roberta Bickett loved, laughed and practiced her faith in the Catholic Church every day of her life. Amanda passed away on October 6, 2022, at the age of 96, surrounded by her family, who sang to her as she left this world and entered the Kingdom of God.

Amanda was born on the family farm in Daviess County, Kentucky, to Norbert Bernard Roby and Mary Francis Roby on August 11, 1926. After graduating from high school, she had several jobs. The one that stands out the most was a “Rosie the Riveter” job in an aviation center in Evansville, Indiana.

Amanda contracted Tuberculosis in her early 20s. Her TB went into remission, and doctors advised her to move to an area with a dry climate. Heeding the advice, Amanda and her good friend Zelma pulled a small travel trailer and headed to California. Funds ran low on the way, so they found jobs in Phoenix, Arizona.

Amanda worked at the Woolworth shop in downtown Phoenix and frequently told her co-worker that she recognized customers. One day she actually did — it was Bob Bickett, her future brother-in-law. Bob informed Amanda that his brother, Marvin, was in town and they should get together. Marvin and Amanda dated and were married in the Catholic Church on December 26, 1951. The newlyweds were charter members of Saints Simon and Jude Parish in North Phoenix when it opened in 1953, and they remained parishioners when it became the Cathedral in 1969 and throughout the rest of their lives.

Amanda raised seven children with Marvin — Linda, Paul, Becky, Doug, Dean, Joan, and Vicki. Her TB came back during her third pregnancy, and it eventually prompted Amanda to spend 1.5 years in the Arizona State Tuberculosis Sanitorium. Doctors had to surgically remove portions of both her lungs infected by the TB. Amanda was only the second woman in the State of Arizona to have bilateral lung surgery, and she was the last living TB survivor in her group until her passing.

Her illness challenged her, but it never shook her incredible faith. A great example of this faith was her answer to a doctor who once asked her, “Do you want to be a good Catholic mother to three children, or a dead Catholic mother if you proceed to have more children?” Amanda answered, “God will be the only one to determine how many children I will have!” She brought 4 more children into this world.

Amanda went to work for GE/Honeywell in 1969. She started working in the factory soldering computer boards and then taught herself to type. Her next position with Honeywell was in the Insurance department. Impressed with Amanda’s work, the company sent her to Maricopa Technical College in 1974 to learn General Office Procedures. Amanda’s last position with Honeywell was in the Payroll department before her retirement in 1984.

During her retirement, Amanda served as a volunteer with the St. Vincent De Paul Society (Vincentian). She would fill in as a bible study leader (though it made her nervous!) and was also a eucharist minister for the homebound. Her faith also took her abroad on pilgrimages to Lourdes, Fatima, and the Holy Land, where she was baptized once more in the River Jordan.

One of the great joys of her life was working with a group of people from her parish on the vestments for Pope St. John Paul II’s Mass at Sun Devil Stadium in September of 1987. She received and treasured a certificate of thanks with a blessing from His Holiness.

Amanda Bickett walked with God her entire life. In addition to the trials of TB, Amanda was also a breast cancer survivor. Despite that suffering, she never complained and never asked God why when she shouldered her burdens. Her advice to her family was to always talk to God in prayer.

She’s preceded in death by her loving husband, Marvin Bickett, and two grandchildren, William Martin Bickett and Mary Roberta Bickett.

Amanda was blessed to have 16 grandchildren and 21 great-grandchildren. We, her family, miss her terribly, but feel such joy knowing that she is free from earthly pain, reunited with Marvin, and at peace in the arms of Jesus. Her funeral services will be held at Saints Simon and June Cathedral Oct. 24, 2022, at 10:00 a.m.

Amanda's ashes will be interned at Holy Cross Cemetery on 99th Ave. following Mass and a reception with refreshments. Please send any flower deliveries to Saints Simon and Jude Cathedral before Monday's Mass. If you would like to make a donation in memory of Amanda, please forward it to Saints Simon and Jude Cathedral or Hospice of the Valley.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.ChapeloftheChimesMortuary.com for the Bickett family.