Bernard J. Wickham was the only child of Edward A. and Mary (Farrell) Wickham. His parents died when he was 15 years old, his father committing suicide only two months after his mother died from injuries sustained in a car accident. His only marriage ended in divorce, there were no children. He worked in the family contracting business.

Related Items:
Newspaper articles concerning the car accident that killed his mother.
Articles on the death of his father, Edward A.
Picture of his parents' and grandmother's tombstones.
Obituaries for his uncle Bernard P. and aunt Nell.
Biographies of his grandfather, James, and great-uncles Patrick and Owen P. Wickham.

Council Bluffs (Iowa) Nonpareil
26 and 27 November 1947, p. 1

      Bernard J. Wickham, 37, scion of the late E. A. Wickham and for many years associated with construction firms in Council Bluffs and Omaha, died about 7 a. m. Wednesday in an Omaha hospital. Death was due to heart disease.
      Until May of this year Wickham was president of the National Construction company of Omaha and the Wickham Bridge and Pipe company of Council Bluffs. The two firms had handled millions of dollars in contracts for road construction and Missouri river improvements.
      In May he sold his interests in both firms and recently had purchased an interest in the Hunter Manufacturing company of Omaha, toy makers.
Interested in Flying.
      Wickham made his home at the Commodore hotel in Omaha.
      As a young man Wickham was interested in flying and later purchased the first "flying office" to be used in this territory.
      When he reached his twenty-first birthday he recieved a sum variously estimated up to $600,000 ¹ as the sole heir to his father's estate.
      He was married in 1931 to Dorothy Higgins of Omaha. The couple was divorced several years ago. There were no children.
      He is survived by three uncles, B. P. Wickham of Council Bluffs, Dan Farrell of Mason City and Dr. William Farrell ² of Aberdeen, S. D.; four aunts, Mrs. Charles McCauley,³ Mrs. Nora Green ⁴ and Mrs. George Schaaf,⁵ all of Council Bluffs, and Mrs. E. J. Murphy ⁶ of Minneapolis.
      Funeral services will probably be held Friday morning at the St. Francis Catholic church here. The Beem-Belford funeral home is in charge.

¹ Bernard turned 21 in 1930. $600,000 in 1930 had the same "purchasing power" as $7,243,000 does today (2006).
² Daniel and William Farrell were his mother's younger brothers.
³ Mary Veronica, wife of Charles A. McCauley, who worked for a telephone company.
⁴ Honorah R. "Nora", wife of John A. Green, a quarry manager.
⁵ Bernadette F., wife of George W. Schaaf.
⁶ Anna M. "Annie", wife of Edward Joseph Murphy.