Alan Edward Bigelow Sr.

Obituary: Alan Edward Bigelow, Sr. Birth/Death: 07/05/1934 — 09/09/2014 Services: October 11, 2014 Palm Eastern Mortuary, 7600 S. Eastern Avenue, Las Vegas, Nevada Viewing with family at 10:00 a.m. Funeral at 11:00 a.m. Graveside military honors: 12:00 Noon Family Request: Please celebrate Al's life by wearing your favorite Disney shirt, tie, or hat rather than black. He asked for a family reunion instead of a morbid occasion. We would like to honor that request. "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." —Matt 11: 28 Al remembered growing up in Grand Rapids, Michigan during the depression era carrying flour sacks to school for lunch bags, picking fruit off the neighbors tree for a treat on the way home, and loving his mother's baking. He inherited the insatiable reading bug from his dad and passed that on to his children and grandchildren. Education and family were his highest priorities—and he liked a good bargain. After spending four years in the Air Force, serving during the Cold War as an electrician on important missile systems (stationed both stateside and in England), Al married Eva Beatrice Nelson in Denver, Colorado in November 1961. Al served a short time longer in the military and moved his family from Denver to Mountain Home, Idaho to Las Vegas, Nevada where he used his military training working for EG&G. They had two children, Alan Jr. and Angela. They divorced in 1969. Al graduated from college and went on to earn three degrees including a master's from UNLV. He married Wanda Wallace in 1974. Together, they brought John and Chris into the family for a total of four children. As a father, Al loved to share Disney stories and visiting family while infusing educational travel into his kids' lives. He worked for the state of Nevada in various accounting positions, worked as a prison guard, managed a restaurant, managed an apartment complex, and volunteered in a model train shop. Once he earned a degree that allowed Al the opportunity to teach high school, he finished professionally by retiring from teaching. Al spent many remaining retirement years happily driving a circuit from Las Vegas to Montana to Tennessee to Michigan to see his extended family—never missing important births of grandchildren or special life events. "Squeaky Cheese" (cheddar and jalapeno cheese curds) became a much-anticipated tradition for his Montana family while special windmill cookies went to the Michigan relatives. Of course, everyone received figs… Some of Al's favorite hobbies included coaching basketball, baseball, and soccer. He loved gardening, dancing, visiting Disneyland, collecting Disney lithographs, reading, and in later years he enjoyed baking checkerboard cakes and making candied figs from his own tree. Fun family stories include many about the Austin-Healy Sprite Al bought while stationed in England, his magical way with fussy babies because of his rumbly baritone voice, and that he completed a 16.5-mile mountain bike ride for his 80th birthday on the famous Hiawatha Trail. Al also loved setting up and running model trains, so much that he had a permanent display with a Christmas village in his living room. Though he had several nicknames given by all his grands, they all meant love: Grandpa, Papa, and G-pa. All his children and grands were blessed with the ability to talk to him and say, "I love you", before Al passed away in an Amarillo, Texas hospice from the devastating stroke he experienced while returning home from meeting his newborn grandchild in Memphis. He truly knew he was loved. We will miss him until we meet again in heaven. Alan Edward Bigelow, Sr. is survived by his four children: Alan Bigelow, Jr., Angela Bigelow Breidenbach, John Bigelow, and Christopher Bigelow. He also leaves behind eleven grandchildren (Forrest, Devan, Mariah, Grayson, Jamie, Kelsey, Chelsea, Adam, Kendrick, Destine, and Sabrina) and four great-grands (Jude, Piper, Makaela, and Jeran) who will all miss him dearly. His parents were Ralph Myron Bigelow and Cleo Luella Moffatt both of Grand Rapids, Michigan. He had seven siblings: Ralph, Irene, Barbara, Dale, Norma, Nancy, and Paul. We invite stories of your experiences knowing our dad, grandpa, and friend.