Michael Calvin “Mike” Bible was born in Austin, TX to Arthur Calvin (A.C.) Bible Jr. and his wife, Mary Frances, and grew up with younger brothers Tim and Steve. The brothers were a lively threesome, often described as mischievous and adventuresome. Despite giving his parents a gray hair or two, Mike was an accomplished youngster, attaining the rank of Eagle Scout and achieving broad recognition as a wonderful tenor. The Bible boys sang in church and, with their cousins, as a quartet at family events. Scouting, singing, and sports (including fishing) would become lifelong passions for Mike.

Mike was an excellent student-athlete at McCallum High School, where he was also selected to the All-State choir, received Congressman J.J. “Jake” Pickle’s nomination to West Point, and, most importantly, met Lessandra “Sandy” Lind, his bride-to-be. At West Point, Mike excelled in math and sciences, was a mainstay in Company C-4 intramurals, loved handball, and sang in the Glee Club and Chapel Choir. He was a quiet gentleman with a perpetual smile, always ready to help a struggling classmate.

When Mike and Mike Taylor were roommates, their girlfriends, Sandy and Janie, met and became friends. Often the ladies would travel together to see their cadets, be it for the Army-Navy Game or a weekend at West Point. Upon graduation, Mike became a second lieutenant in the Corps of Engineers and wed Sandy under gleaming swords held aloft by his C-4 brothers. Janie and Mike Taylor were married the same day, and both wedding receptions were held next door to each other in the officers’ club. A beautiful photo of both newlywed couples together memorialized the day! 

Mike’s first assignment was to an engineer unit in Germany. The couple enjoyed off-duty time traveling all over Europe, sightseeing and skiing. In 1971, Sandy gave birth to Jeff in Stuttgart. When Mike called home to inform the family of the risky early birth, Congressman Pickle assisted in getting passports virtually overnight for Mike and Sandy’s parents so they could visit their only grandchild without delay. Fortunately, Jeff survived the scare.

After commanding companies in Germany and later at Fort Hood, TX, Captain Michael Bible resigned his commission and started graduate school, earning a master’s degree in electrical engineering at the University of Texas. In 1974, Becky was born while they lived near Mike and Sandy’s parents. After passing his professional engineer exams, Mike was working for his father’s electrical company as a journeyman electrician and engineer. Ever devout, Mike also taught Sunday School for many years, leading little ones in song and teaching them to love the Lord and sugar cookies at the same time. 

Saturdays were spent at soccer fields coaching Becky and Jeff, fishing with family on the Gulf Coast, or leading Cub then Boy Scout campouts. Mike liked to turn a wrench and for years worked on scrapping together a Ford Model A in the garage. He taught Jeff to rebuild the motor of his first car, a 1967 Ford Mustang. Mike also founded Boy Scout Troop 162 and served as Scoutmaster for a decade. Jeff and many others attained the Eagle rank, in part, due to Mike’s leadership. Mike was awarded the Order of the Arrow’s Vigil Honor and the Scoutmaster’s award of merit. Sadly, it was during this timeframe that Sandy was gradually overcome with a debilitating mental illness that took a heavy toll on Mike and the kids. Despite Mike’s best efforts, they separated and eventually divorced.

In the mid-1980s, Mike purchased Hammer Engineering with partner Eugene Blum. A recession in the late ’80s forced Mike to look for a change away from commercial construction engineering. Mike sought opportunities in the oil and gas industry. His first role was as a project safety engineer, and later he served as lead project engineer for natural gas compression stations built to enable long distance transmission pipelines. The job eventually took him to the Mojave Desert, where he met Jane Ellen Gaines. Jane recalls that she was praying for a kind Christian man to come into her life. After their first date (on her birthday), she felt like Mike was her gift from above! Jane and Mike married and travelled overseas as Mike worked for Gulf Interstate Engineering and later Worley Parsons on projects in Yemen, the United Arab Emirates, England, South Korea, and Argentina. Together they enjoyed vacationing on the beaches of Mexico and living in Puerto Vallarta for a year. While there, Mike would barter with the locals to take him hand-line fishing from the beach in their small outboard pangas. Besides fishing, Mike was an ardent follower of Manchester United. If he wasn’t watching the latest match, he would have been at a volleyball gym, soccer field, football field, or baseball diamond watching his six grandkids. His grandkids loved him and played harder when they saw him cheering them on.

Mike and Jane eventually settled in Round Rock, TX, buying a home for themselves and a second one just around the corner for his parents. After retirement, Mike would walk down the block to spend time with his parents, sharing a meal or working on chores around the house with his brothers.

In 2022, Michael Calvin Bible was called home to Heaven after battling colon cancer and was buried, with bagpipes sounding amongst military honors. This Christian gentleman is loved and missed by all who knew him. May he rest in eternal peace.

— Jeff Bible, son, with help from family and a friend