Melvin Bigelow

Melvin Bigelow was born in Pima, Arizona to Leland and Nellie Dillard Bigelow on December 10th, 1928. He attended Phoenix Union High School and then joined the US Army. After he was honorably discharged he went Phoenix College, BYU and UCLA. He had a brilliant mind and loved to quote Shakespeare. As a young man, Melvin began looking for answers to important questions that were in his heart. Not finding healing answers by those who were supposed to know, he was finally given some very wise advice by an unconventional counselor. Melvin loved to share this advice. He was told by that counselor to read the Bible and that the answers to those haunting questions was to be found in the redemptive work of the shed blood of Christ the Creator and Saviour who's record is found in that old Preserved Book of all Ages. Melvin began to read a New Testament supplied to him by the Second Baptist Church from Atlanta, Georgia while in the US Army. He also began to study to be a Machinist and Tool maker. One day on break where he gotten a job as a Machinist he was reading his New Testament and it all came together in his heart. He understood how Jesus Christ looked beyond his fault and saw his need. He realized that the Great Physician had diagnosed him as a Sinner in need of a Savior. It was there at his work bench that he knelt in humble prayer and with a repentant heart received eternal healing. As he testified many times over he finally had peace in his heart and was assured beyond a shadow of a doubt of his Eternal Destination in Heaven with the Christ of Glory. On that day he received Jesus Christ as his Saviour and Lord of his life. Melvin comes from a family of miners and loved to go and pan for gold on his placer claims in the mountains northeast of Wickenburg. He always loved to show those who were interested the "color" he had found in those beautiful, tangled mountains and scrub trees. He also loved to hike old cattle and miner's trails with his walking stick in search of rocks and relics of a by gone day. When Melvin became unable to drive daily to his job, he began to get work to do at home. He had his own tiny machine shop business. During this time he and his wife, Minnie began Bible class for the children in the Wittmann area in their home. Some of those "children" continue to stay in touch. From that seed came Chaparral Baptist Mission now known as Desert Rose Baptist Church in the Wittmann area. He had great joy in the survival and blossoming of this little Bible believing church in the desert. Melvin had a massive stroke in September of 2002. God allowed him to survive and he was able to regain his ability to walk, see and speak well enough to be understood most of the time. He longed to go home to be with the Lord, but knew the Lord kept him here for His purpose. On March 24th, 2011 Melvin had another massive stroke and on April 9th the Lord was finally ready to take Melvin to the place "where eye hath not seen, nor ear hath heard the things the Lord has prepared for them that love Him." Melvin is survived by his wife, Minnie; his children, Claudia Bigelow of San Francisco, CA, Brenda (John) Lovejoy of Wittmann, AZ, Denise (Noel) Arnold of Wittmann, AZ, Ted (Sheila) Bigelow and his seven precious grandchildren. Funeral Services will be held on Saturday, April 16th, 2011 at 11:00 AM at the Desert Rose Baptist Church at 20609 W. Patton Rd. in Wittmann, with visitation 1 hour prior to services at the Church. Interment will follow with military honors at the Saguaro Jane's Wittmann Cemetery.