Wilma Bigalk, 86
Fri, 06/11/2021 - 5:15pm
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April 3, 1935 —
June 9, 2021
CRESCO - Wilma J. Bigalk, age 86, of Cresco, Iowa, died on June 9, 2021 at home surrounded by family.
A memorial service will be held on Monday, June 14, 2021 at Cresco Community Chapel at 11 a.m. with Pastor Jon Van Dine officiating. Visitation will be held on Sunday, June 13, at Hindt-Hudek Funeral Home in Cresco, from 2-5 p.m. and will continue one hour prior to the service on Monday at the church.
Wilma Jean Bigalk was born on April 3, 1935, in Cresco, the only child of William and Muriel (Manuel) Sanders. She was baptized and confirmed at Fremont Lutheran Church in rural Winneshiek County, Iowa. She was raised on a farm near Kendallville, Iowa and graduated from Cresco High School in 1953. Wilma and Arlin Bigalk were married at Fremont Lutheran Church on May 25, 1974, where they were both members. They farmed by the Bigalk Trout Stream north of Cresco, where they milked cows for many years. She was a member of the American Jersey Cattle Club and the American Milking Shorthorn Association.
She worked at the Winneshiek County Treasurer’s Office, Decorah Vet Clinic, was secretary at Crestwood High School principal’s office and was Spectrum Industries store manager and vocational trainer in Cresco.
She was a member of Fremont Lutheran Church until it disbanded in 1976. All total, she taught Sunday School for 44 years and held other positions such as Christian Education Coordinator and Circle Bible Study leader while attending Immanuel Lutheran Church. She has been active with the Fremont Cemetery Association, serving as secretary, spearheading annual clean up days and placing flags on all of the veterans buried there each Memorial Day.
Her genealogy and history interests led her to research and compile many family and local histories, especially around her “old stomping grounds” of Kendallville and Plymouth Rock. Wilma enjoyed sewing quilt tops and donated many, many of them to church groups to finish and send to missions. In later years, she donated quilts to the Cresco Fire Department.
She loved flowers of all kinds, but especially roses and geraniums. She had a rose garden and knew the names of every rose variety. She took special care to collect geranium slips from her friends and neighbors and grew them. Years later, she could still tell you who this plant or that plant came from.
Wilma is survived by her husband, Arlin; daughter, Laurie (Bob) Tupy; grandchildren, Jackie (Matt) Beran, Barbie Tupy, Bryan Tupy, Jenni Nightingale and Bethany (Andy Sollien) Daniel; three great-grandchildren; and one cousin, Gloria (Curtis) Bouska.
She was preceded in death by her parents and many cousins.
