Maureen Susan Riley Bigelow was born into time on June 4, 1935 and passed into eternity on October 27, 2018. She died peacefully at home surrounded by her family after a battle with cancer. Maureen was born in South Bend, Indiana to Phillip and Rose Riley and attended Saint Joseph High School and night school at Indiana University while working at Bendix Corporation.
She married the love of her life, Jim Bigelow 59 years ago at the Basilica at the University of Notre Dame on September 5, 1959. They began their married life together on Mercer Island, Washington. They soon had a family of five with the arrival of their three daughters, Catherine, Susan and Anne, who they raised in Bellevue, Detroit, and finally arriving in beloved Yakima in 1969. Despite health challenges, Maureen carried herself through life with grace and quiet strength. She became known by her ten grandchildren as “Gunga,” after the oldest couldn’t pronounce “grandma.” Gunga was not only our stylish matriarch, but the wisest, kindest, and most loving admiral of our family.
Maureen became very talented with her hands and was always knitting, needle pointing or quilting. She had an eye for beauty and loved to “treasure hunt.” Her home was full of beautiful items she collected or created over the years. Her rose garden was majestic with the colors of the sunset shining through the petals each night. Her vivacious personality drew people to her and she established and maintained lifelong friends in every chapter of her life. She had sage advice and the ability to turn any situation into something fun.
Maureen made a difference in her Yakima community. She served in numerous roles on the PTA, the Jeanne Hedwall Children’s Orthopedic Guild, served on the Yakima Symphony Board, Yakima Rotary Aspire Program, Yakima Habitat for Humanity, and with great pride the Grace of Christ Bible Study. She was always progressive in her thinking, and inclusive in her actions. Maureen’s strong kind spirit and great sense of humor lives on through her three daughters and ten grandchildren. She was quite an exceptional woman. The honor of knowing and loving her changed our lives forever.
Maureen is survived by her husband Jim, her daughters Susan (James) Naughton, and Anne (Mike) Seifert, her sister Kay (Jim) Waters, and her brother Philip F (Sheila) Riley. Her grandchildren Anna (Scott) Doerner, Ben Gullickson, Peter Gullickson, Conrad Gullickson, Hannah Naughton, Lily Naughton, Fiona Naughton, Madeline Seifert, Matthew Seifert, and Catherine Seifert were precious to her. Maureen is predeceased by her daughter Catherine Bigelow Gullickson (Jeff), parents Philip H (Rose) Riley, and her sister Rosemarie (Jack) Sheehan.
Our family extends its heartfelt gratitude for the loving care from the staff at Yakima Hospice. We ask that in lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the University of Portland School of Nursing “Catherine Bigelow Gullickson Foundation,” in memory of Maureen’s daughter Catherine, who was a nurse.
A celebration of life will be held at Grace of Christ Church at 3:30 PM on Sunday, December 2, 2018.
