Bryan was born February 8, 1939 in Logan, Utah to Ray and LaVon Bickmore. He and his mother rode home to Paradise in the milk truck because there was a bad snow storm and the road to their home was closed. He was the oldest of 4 children. As a child the home had no running water and he remembered being the last to take a bath with water the adults had already bathed in. He and sister Karen walked thru the snow drifts to get to school.
Bryan's formative years were spent working on the family farm in Paradise, Utah. Grandpa Bickmore had disabling arthritis, so Bryan would do the chores for Grandpa and then go home & do his own chores. He drove tractors and combines starting around age 8. Grandpa would drive him to the field and turn him loose on the equipment. More than once a sheriff asked that he not be driving on the public roads. Growing up Bryan was active in the Latter Day Saints church activities and the Boy Scouts. The Scouts had a jamboree in southern California in 1953 at the Irvine Ranch. Bryan was able to go and spoke fondly of that experience. He graduated from Weber High School in Ogden, Utah in 1957. Between the ages of 18 and 26 he spent 6 months in active duty and 8 years in the reserves for the US Marine Corp.
Bryan attended University of Utah studying economics while working construction to put himself through school. After his first year of college there was a strike and his construction job was unavailable. Bryan answered an ad to sell cars and convinced the dealership that he was not going back to school so they hired him. Bryan ended up enjoying the car business and indeed did not return to college, but was a lifelong learner.
Bryan sold cars in Salt Lake City through 1966 and then moved to the Seattle area to continue in the car business. He became a general manager in 1968 and part owner of his first dealership in 1969.
In 1979 Bryan and Doug Ikegami came to Portland and started Bryan Bickmore Dodge in Beaverton. Within a couple years Bryan bought out Doug with some creative financing help from Gene Vollmer and became sole owner of the Dodge dealership.
Bryan started Bee Rent-A-Car and later bought the Gresham Ford dealership.
Being a big picture thinker, Bryan decided that on the next up turn in the car business he was going to sell the dealerships and move on to his next chapter in life. In 2002 he sold Gresham Ford and in 2004 the Dodge dealership was sold to Bob Lamphere. A 45 year odessy in the car business came to an end.
In 2003 Bryan was at a mobile home park he owned in Warrenton, Oregon and noticed the ranch next to it seemed to be in limbo. Bryan purchased the 450 acre Tagg Ranch and began the process of developing more pasture while starting a Black Angus herd. With his stewardship, the land has been well taken care of and he developed a natural beef business that still continues.
Bryan was preceded in death by his parents, Ray and LaVon; brother, Leon; daughter, Annalee; and brother-in-law, Merlin Judkins.
He is survived by his wife, Leslie and her daughter Jill (Kyle); son, Brett (Vickie); daughter, Becki (Steve); sister, Karen; brother, Kent; nieces, Jenny (Ryan) and Jauna; nephews, Mike (Shana) and Tyler (Sara); granddaughters, Shelby, Emma (Josh), Opal, Zoe and Jorie; grandsons, Justin (Kallie), Ryan, Brandon, Jimmy, Bryan, Jordan (Zoe) and Silas; great granddaughters Zoey and Arizona; and great grandsons, Colt and Bentley.
Bryan believed in God and country and self-reliance. He believed in hard work, education and that it was required of those who had done well to help others who were trying to help themselves. He lived a full life on his terms.
A celebration of life for Bryan will be held Sunday, July 31, 2022 from 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM at Columbia Edgewater Country Club, 2220 NE Marine Drive, Portland, OR 97211.
Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.skylinememorialgardens.com for the Bickmore family.
In lieu of flowers donations may be made to the Bryan Bickmore Foundation 14814 SE Northshore Cir Vancouver WA 98683 or to Lower Columbia Hospice 2111 Exchange St Astoria OR 97103.
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