MaryLou Bigler

It is with great sadness that we share the passing of MaryLou Bigler at the age of 91. MaryLou was born on March 17, 1933, to Ralph and Lennie (Dorcus) Dunham in Leon, Iowa. MaryLou lived on the family farm, until 1944 when the family moved to Hastings, Nebraska to work for the WW II effort. In 1947, the family moved to Oregon and first settled in Buena Vista/Talbot area and then in Jefferson where they built their family home. MaryLou graduated from Jefferson High School in 1951. She was active in band, rally, and sports in high school. After high school, MaryLou moved to Salem to work for Ma Bell (AT&T) telephone company where she met the love of her life, Gordon Bigler. They were married in Salem, Ore. at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church on April 30, 1955. After their marriage, MaryLou and Gordon lived in Portland, Salem, Woodburn, and Estacada while expanding their family and working careers. MaryLou worked as a clerk at Estacada Rexall Drug Store as well as an Operator at Cascade Utilities and Kaiser Permanente Sunnyside Hospital, until she retired in 1994. They spent the majority of their lives, 32 years, raising their family in Estacada. After retirement, MaryLou and Gordon moved to Woodburn, Ore., where they spent almost 29 years, to live closer to their siblings and life-long friends. MaryLou adored her sisters and cherished their monthly gatherings and holidays together. She often shared their childhood stories from Iowa, and their times together in Oregon. MaryLou was also passionate about her immediate family, spending a lot of time with her kids and grandkids as they grew older, always with fresh baked cookies, zucchini bread, and snacks in tow. Her family was her world – nothing was more important! MaryLou was an active member of Loaves and Fishes, and St. Aloysius church in Estacada as well as St. Luke’s in Woodburn and St. Agnes in Hubbard. She also had a passion for cooking, baking, reading, traveling, bowling, and painting. She is survived by her daughter, Kimberly (Terry), sons, Kevin (Elaine), Kyle (Wendy), daughter, Karen, and former son-in-law, Aristanto, 8 grandchildren, Keshia, Chelsey (Kelly), Aren, Jeff (Theresa), Kelli (Aaron), Luke (Taylor), Adrian, Zachary and 5 great grandchildren, Loretta, Koa, George, Jace and Roman. MaryLou is also survived by her brother-in-law, Bob Whitehead and numerous nieces and nephews. MaryLou was preceded in death by the love of her life, Gordon Bigler, her parents, Ralph and Lennie (Dorcus); her 5 sisters, Pauline, Donella, Shirley, Delores and Karen and her brother Sonny. Funeral Mass will be held Friday, June 7th, 2024, at 11 a.m. at St. Mary’s Catholic Church, Mt. Angel, Oregon. A private interment will be at Calvary Cemetery, under the direction of Simon Cornwell Colonial Chapel. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Calvary Cemetery in Mt. Angel, Oregon (https://stmarymtangel.org/calvary-cemetery).

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MaryLou Bigler

March 17, 1933 - May 24, 2024