April 24, 2018 saw the release of Lois M. Bigelow from her earthly bonds at the age of 89 following a long battle with kidney disease.
Born in Minnesota to Vernie and Naomi (Helgren) Morris, she moved with her family to Western Washington at the age of 6. After graduation from Monroe High School in Monroe, she married Thomas H. Bigelow, setting up home in his hometown of Sultan where his family had lived since the 1880’s.
Here they raised their family while developing and running Wagely Creek Trout Farm, a sawmill, a television repair business and a CB antenna company.
Lois was an active member of the Startup Seventh Day Adventist Church, serving the congregation in many capacities over the years.
After the children were grown, Lois took her baking skills to local restaurants, where she filled the glass displays with her award-winning pies and cinnamon rolls. Her dedication to cooking, gardening, food preservation, the fine arts of sewing and needlework as well as her love of reading have been passed down to her ensuing generation. Lois and Tom enjoyed traveling, camping, hunting for the elusive Morel mushroom and panning for gold.
Lois and Tom moved to Chewelah, Washington, in 2002 with plans to explore their new, drier surroundings, but their plans were disrupted by Tom’s unexpected stroke shortly after their move. Several years after his passing in 2011, Lois moved to Northern California to be nearer to family.
Here she enjoyed family Thanksgiving, Christmas and birthday celebrations and drives in the country.
Lois was the last surviving member of her family’s generation having lost her brother Wayne in World War II and sisters Hazel, Sybil, Violet and Lorraine
over the last few decades. She also follows her husband Thomas, daughter Sherry and son-in-law Jim Kennedy in death. Lois leaves behind and will be deeply and forever missed by her children Wendy Kennedy of Browns Valley, California; Bobbie Kinberg of Arlington, and Wally Bigelow of Gold Bar, as well as grandchildren Christopher Hull, Desiree Rosenbach, Damon Diel, Lauren (Phil) Snowden, Dustin Diel, Matthew and
Derek Bigelow and greatgrandchildren Damon Jr., Daisy, Shelby and Faythe.
Lois and Tom will be interred along with Sherry in the Sultan Cemetery in a private graveside service at a later date.
