25 Oct Phyllis and Jack Bigelow
Posted at 18:23h
in Uncategorized
by staff
Phyllis Bigelow, 74, of Bismarck passed away on October 1, 2023. Her husband Jack Bigelow, 84 of Bismarck, passed away October 6, 2023. A memorial service will be held on Monday, October 30, 2023, at the North Dakota Veterans Cemetery in Mandan, ND, at 11:00 am.
Jack Edward Bigelow was born on July 18, 1939. Phyllis Marie Reynolds was born on February 14, 1949. They met at Straw Hat Pizza in Concord, CA, and were married on
Phyllis’ 21st birthday, February 14, 1970, in Reno, NV. It was on this day that their adventures began, and for the next 53 years they would rarely be apart.
For most of their lives they lived in Concord, CA, where Jack worked as produce manager at Lucky’s Grocery Store and Phyllis was a banker at Bank of America. They often spent time with their friends Sandy and John. The men liked to golf, and they all enjoyed bowling, watching San Francisco 49ers football games, and Giants baseball games. Above all, Jack and Phyllis loved to travel and spend time with their family, especially Steve and Rusty. Their adventures together included many trips, cruises, more winery tours than a person can count, and an especially memorable trip for Steve and Rusty to Disneyland when they were young. Phyllis and Jack’s favorite place to visit was Hawaii, with many trips over the years – the most recent being for their 50th wedding anniversary in February 2020.
In 2016 after they both retired, Jack and Phyllis decided to embark on a new adventure – a move to Bismarck, North Dakota to be closer to their son, Rusty, and his family. They lived for 7 happy years in Bismarck, cherishing time with their grandchildren, Jack Michael and Abby. As they aged, they recognized that their health issues would require more assistance. Each of
them was hospitalized this past year and their greatest challenge during those times was simply being apart.
Jack and Phyllis were special people. Jack had an incomparable sense of humor and a belly laugh his family will never forget. When out to eat at a restaurant and it was time to leave, he would often tell other diners that the food was all gone because he ate it all! Jack never met a stranger; he could talk to anyone, mostly about John Wayne. Phyllis was kind and h
ad a way of making everyone she met feel special. But she also ran the household and Jack knew it!
After Phyllis passed, Jack followed soon after. Even though their lives took them on many journeys, they are now on their greatest adventure: together in heaven forever where they will never be apart again.
Jack and Phyllis are missed by their sons, Steve, and his wife, Jonelle, of Grass Valley, CA, and Rusty, and wife, Amy, of Bismarck, ND; their grandchildren, Caleb, Jacob, Andrew, and Brian, Jack Michael and Abby; their favorite four-legged friend “baby girl” Cookie; special friend, Sandy Gaul; and cousins Renee and OJ Potter and Maxine and Russ Warren.
At their request, a small amount of their ashes will be scattered in Hawaii at a later date.
The family of Jack and Phyllis would like to thank Bismarck Senior Home Care (formerly Visiting Angels) and Edgewood Village, Bismarck, for their unwavering support over the past 10 months. Memorials may be sent in their memories to them.
