Ways of Life: A croquet champion and pioneer

Also remembered: Owner of company that built the movie theater at Park Road Shopping Center and the Cameron Brown Building; longtime teacher; clerk and lawyer during desegregation

You’re reading Ways of Life, a weekly obituaries newsletter from The Charlotte Ledger honoring our friends, neighbors and family members who made an impact on Charlotte through the ways they lived their lives.

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Today’s newsletter is sponsored by VIA Health Partners, which delivers compassionate and comprehensive care to patients with serious illnesses. As the Carolinas’ largest independent non-profit hospice and palliative care provider, we serve over 5,000 patients daily, spanning 38 counties.

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Damon Bidencope believed others would love the game he loved so much

Damon Bidencope demonstrating croquet at the croquet court at Atlanta’s Peachtree Hills Place retirement center. (Photo courtesy of Peachtree Hills Place Croquet Club)

By Carroll Walton

Damon Bidencope believed — and demonstrated — that croquet is a game you can enjoy for life. The former captain and champion for both the Australian and U.S. national teams played the sport for 47 years, right up until he had just nine and a half fingers on the mallet.

Melanoma cost Bidencope part of his left thumb and ultimately took his life on Sept. 13 at age 65. But it could never touch his love for the game.

His longevity helped make the point he’d been using for years to grow the game in Charlotte, North Carolina and the United States. In an interview with Croquet Network in March, Bidencope said croquet was as easy as “pie” — pointing out “p” for physical benefits of being on your feet, “i” for intellectual stimulation of decision-making and shot anticipation and “e” for emotional well-being and the social nature of the sport.

Croquet is like pickleball without the visit to an orthopedic surgeon.