Truman Oscar Bidelspach

Friends and family are welcome to attend a celebration of life, which will be held at First Baptist Church in Amber, OK on December 29, 2023, at 1pm under the direction of Sevier Funeral Home. Interment will be at Laverty Cemetery. The family has asked that in lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. A donation page in honor of Truman can be found at https://diy.lls.org/truman.

Family visitation will be on Thursday, December 28, 2023, from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at Sevier Funeral Home.

Truman Oscar Bidelspach (65) passed away peacefully at home in Chickasha, OK on December 24, 2023, after a sudden decline in health while bravely battling cancer for a second time in his life.

Truman was born on September 8, 1958, to Benjamin and Norma Bidelspach in Sunbury, PA. The youngest of four children, Truman was fascinated by how machines work and early on forged a lifelong love of cars and all things mechanical. A hard worker from the start, Truman got his first job at the age of 13, working at a local butcher shop, and by his late teens, he was working as a disc jockey at a local radio station and a guitarist for his sister Shirley's backup band. He graduated from Selinsgrove High School and his childhood could be summed up as a happy one filled with family, friends, adventure, and a healthy amount of mischief.

In 1978, he married Ann Malcolm, and within the first three years of marriage, they welcomed their first son Truman (TAB), and their second son Nicholas (Nick) into the world. During this chapter of Truman's life, he pursued his passion for automobiles and opened several auto body businesses in central Pennsylvania. Subsequently, God had a different plan for Truman leading him to take up the mantle of civil service and start what became a career with the Department of Justice (DoJ). After a significant training period, he relocated his family to Chickasha, OK and in 1989 they welcomed their daughter Stephanie into the family. His career took the family back to the east coast where Truman excelled in the intelligence field within the Bureau of Prisons attaining the rank of Special Investigative Agent. While serving in this capacity, he was instrumental in designing and testing the physical security aspects of the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, NY. God intervened again and the family headed back to Oklahoma. Truman's new role placed him in a pivotal position where he was a key member of the team responsible for making the newly built Federal Transfer Center in Oklahoma City operational.

In 2002, he married Mary Glass, bringing Brian, Cameron, and Melody to the family and they set out to combine two wonderful families into one. With Mary by his side and two kids still at home, they actively participated in school sporting events, band competitions, and opportunities to serve through their church. In 2009, Truman retired from the Bureau of Prisons after an exemplary 23 years of service. Retirement was both a welcome blessing and a daunting amount of free time, but between various projects he kept himself busy. Over the next several years their family was blessed with total of 14 grandchildren and a house filled with love and laughter. During their time together Mary and Truman enjoyed traveling. Whether it was to a remote part of Oklahoma or across the country, the sense of adventure was still a huge component of their lives.

Truman was known to many as the guy who could help. His many interests, expertise, and servant's heart led him to befriend and/or mentor all he encountered. He loved to help people and would lend a hand at a moment's notice. He also took great joy in cooking for others, and one could say that was his love language.

His hobbies were numerous, but his love for music was vast, between playing guitar and listening to genres ranging from classical to traditional Christian hymns to bluegrass to jazz to rock, Truman was never far from an instrument or a radio. When quizzed about a song, he could tell you the title, artist, album, and usually the band lineup or some other uniquely obscure fact about the artist or band.

Most of all, he loved his family. At the end of the day, family brought him the most joy, especially his grandkids.

Truman is preceded in death by his parents, Norma & Benjamin Bidelspach; father-in-law, Cliff Hartman; brother-in-law, John Treese; sister-in-law, Kristina Haynes; niece, Heather Bidelspach.

Truman is survived by his loving wife, Mary; mother-in-law, Evelyn Hartman; siblings: Ben (Cathy) Bidelspach, Shirley Treese, Harry (Joann) Bidelspach, Rebecca Parish, Timmy Parish; children: Truman (Penny) Bidelspach, Brian (Dani) Glass, Nick (Kathy) Bidelspach, Stephanie (Patton) Graves, Cameron (Jessica) Glass; grandchildren: Melody Glass, Truman X Bidelspach, Emma Bidelspach, Avery Bidelspach, Ian Bidelspach, Victoria Bidelspach, Hudson Bidelspach, Owen Bidelspach, Harper Glass, Sterling Bidelspach, Charlotte Bidelspach, Sophia Glass, Isaac Glass, and Korben Glass; numerous beloved cousins, nieces, nephews, and dear friends.