- Date Of Birth: July 16, 1930
- Date Of Death: June 22, 2017
- State: Idaho
Gilbert “Bing” Hall Bigham, passed at the age of 86 and is now with his loved ones for eternity. Born July 16, 1930 in Dallas, Texas to Jack Roy and Ruby Bigham. At the age of 4 his Dad passed away and Ruby moved back to Kansas with her two sons. She remarried to Clifford Schendel who Bing called Pop and grew up on the family farm near Lyndon, Kansas. He graduated from Quenemo High School, in Quenemo, Kansas as Salutatorian of his class and then started to work for Goodyear.
In 1949, Bing joined the Army where he was the second highest testing that they had ever had. He trained troops and pilots for the Korean War (survival training) and in 1950, he married Dorcas Mae Earnhardt. In 1952 Bing retired from the Army with an Honorable Discharge only to be approached for a position at the Pentagon which was turned down so that he could return to his family in Kansas where he returned to work for Goodyear. They had two children, James Roy and Jeanne Ann.
In 1954, he moved his family to Fontana, California where he worked for Kaiser Steel Corp. for a number of years and he attended Chaffey College at night to earn his electrical degree. Bing started his own electrical business, Bing & Son Electric, working in residential then moved into industrial and commercial contracting in the mid 1960’s. He loved working with electricity and always had a high work ethic. He moved to Alta Loma, California in 1962 where he built his first home until 1972 when they moved to Emmett, Idaho. Bing continued his electrical business and moved into remodeling lumber mills all over the northwest. His son and daughter joined he and Dorcas in Idaho where they enjoyed many years working together.
Bing retired in the mid 1990’s and he and Dorcas traveled around the United States until they found a place in Yuma, Arizona and decided to settle there.
He is preceded in death by: his wife, Dorcas; his son, James Roy; parents, Jack Roy Bigham, Ruby and Clifford Schendel; great granddaughter, Gina.
He is survived by his daughter, Jeanne (Steve) Wilfong; his brother, Walter (Margie) Bigham of Vassar, Kansas; Grandchildren, Kevin (Sondra) Bigham, James Roy Bigham Jr, Crystal (Troy) Brown, Sally Wilfong; Great Grandchildren, Kylee Hadley, Stephanee Randolph and JJ Bigham; numerous nieces and nephews that he loved all dearly.
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