Richard P. Bigness Sr was the oldest son of Reginald P. and Marion E. Bigness, born on his mother's birthday.
The family moved to upstate New York in 1949 and he graduated from Sackets Harbor High School in 1954. He served in the US Army Reserves from 1956 to 1959. He spent his entire working career in retail, starting with the management training program at Sears shortly after graduating from Columbia University in 1958 and managing stores in the New York metropolitan area. Active in the local community, he served on both the Boards of the E.B. Crawford Library and Swinging Bridge Property Owners Association.
He was a man of many talents: a licensed pilot, an artist, a fount of information on history and politics, and an avid fan of baseball's Brooklyn Dodgers. He enjoyed boating, harness racing, and collecting Lionel and Marx New York Central model trains. He was a kind, brave, and generous man who will be deeply missed.
He is survived by his wife and best friend of 32 years, Virginia Schomp; his two daughters, Kathryn Romano, and her husband, Gary, of Montgomery, TX, and Kerry Bigness, and her husband, Paul Martin, of Smallwood, NY; his two sons: Randal Bigness, of East Stroudsburg, PA, and Richard "Chip" Bigness Jr., of Monticello; his sister, Marion Nye, and her husband, Harry, of Harrisburg, PA; his two brothers, James Bigness, and his wife, Cheryl, of Schenectady, NY, and John Bigness and his wife, Maureen, of East Greenbush, NY; his eight grandchildren: Joseph Romano, Vincent Romano, Gary Romano, Jessica Conti, Kristin Bigness, Jennifer Greico, Loretta Huldey, and Jonathan Martin; several great grandchildren and several nephews and nieces. In addition to his parents, he was predeceased by a brother, Donald, in 2011.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Richard's name to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City (mskcc.org/giving).
Candle
Gone from us but never lost.
You cannot lose the sun and stars
Though darkness for a time obscure
And wild winds batter weary hearts.
Still, a spirit strong endures.
Your light, your love, will not be lost.
Gone from us but still our guide.
Though doubts assail our every turn,
And maps are just a blur of lines,
When mountains shake, when oceans churn,
To memory we turn for signs
And your true compass is our guide.
Gone and missed with every breath
Your loving arms, your clear blue eyes.
That questing mind, those clever hands,
The calm that set the world to rights.
These perished parts, this cherished man,
This warrior who raged at death.
Rest easy now. The battle’s won.
Here in our hearts the flame burns on.
- by VS
[Read at the interment of Richard's ashes in Sackets Harbor Military Cemetery, Sept. 20, 2014]
The family moved to upstate New York in 1949 and he graduated from Sackets Harbor High School in 1954. He served in the US Army Reserves from 1956 to 1959. He spent his entire working career in retail, starting with the management training program at Sears shortly after graduating from Columbia University in 1958 and managing stores in the New York metropolitan area. Active in the local community, he served on both the Boards of the E.B. Crawford Library and Swinging Bridge Property Owners Association.
He was a man of many talents: a licensed pilot, an artist, a fount of information on history and politics, and an avid fan of baseball's Brooklyn Dodgers. He enjoyed boating, harness racing, and collecting Lionel and Marx New York Central model trains. He was a kind, brave, and generous man who will be deeply missed.
He is survived by his wife and best friend of 32 years, Virginia Schomp; his two daughters, Kathryn Romano, and her husband, Gary, of Montgomery, TX, and Kerry Bigness, and her husband, Paul Martin, of Smallwood, NY; his two sons: Randal Bigness, of East Stroudsburg, PA, and Richard "Chip" Bigness Jr., of Monticello; his sister, Marion Nye, and her husband, Harry, of Harrisburg, PA; his two brothers, James Bigness, and his wife, Cheryl, of Schenectady, NY, and John Bigness and his wife, Maureen, of East Greenbush, NY; his eight grandchildren: Joseph Romano, Vincent Romano, Gary Romano, Jessica Conti, Kristin Bigness, Jennifer Greico, Loretta Huldey, and Jonathan Martin; several great grandchildren and several nephews and nieces. In addition to his parents, he was predeceased by a brother, Donald, in 2011.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Richard's name to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City (mskcc.org/giving).
Candle
Gone from us but never lost.
You cannot lose the sun and stars
Though darkness for a time obscure
And wild winds batter weary hearts.
Still, a spirit strong endures.
Your light, your love, will not be lost.
Gone from us but still our guide.
Though doubts assail our every turn,
And maps are just a blur of lines,
When mountains shake, when oceans churn,
To memory we turn for signs
And your true compass is our guide.
Gone and missed with every breath
Your loving arms, your clear blue eyes.
That questing mind, those clever hands,
The calm that set the world to rights.
These perished parts, this cherished man,
This warrior who raged at death.
Rest easy now. The battle’s won.
Here in our hearts the flame burns on.
- by VS
[Read at the interment of Richard's ashes in Sackets Harbor Military Cemetery, Sept. 20, 2014]
Richard P. Bigness Sr was the oldest son of Reginald P. and Marion E. Bigness, born on his mother's birthday.
The family moved to upstate New York in 1949 and he graduated from Sackets Harbor High School in 1954. He served in the US Army Reserves from 1956 to 1959. He spent his entire working career in retail, starting with the management training program at Sears shortly after graduating from Columbia University in 1958 and managing stores in the New York metropolitan area. Active in the local community, he served on both the Boards of the E.B. Crawford Library and Swinging Bridge Property Owners Association.
He was a man of many talents: a licensed pilot, an artist, a fount of information on history and politics, and an avid fan of baseball's Brooklyn Dodgers. He enjoyed boating, harness racing, and collecting Lionel and Marx New York Central model trains. He was a kind, brave, and generous man who will be deeply missed.
He is survived by his wife and best friend of 32 years, Virginia Schomp; his two daughters, Kathryn Romano, and her husband, Gary, of Montgomery, TX, and Kerry Bigness, and her husband, Paul Martin, of Smallwood, NY; his two sons: Randal Bigness, of East Stroudsburg, PA, and Richard "Chip" Bigness Jr., of Monticello; his sister, Marion Nye, and her husband, Harry, of Harrisburg, PA; his two brothers, James Bigness, and his wife, Cheryl, of Schenectady, NY, and John Bigness and his wife, Maureen, of East Greenbush, NY; his eight grandchildren: Joseph Romano, Vincent Romano, Gary Romano, Jessica Conti, Kristin Bigness, Jennifer Greico, Loretta Huldey, and Jonathan Martin; several great grandchildren and several nephews and nieces. In addition to his parents, he was predeceased by a brother, Donald, in 2011.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Richard's name to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City (mskcc.org/giving).
Candle
Gone from us but never lost.
You cannot lose the sun and stars
Though darkness for a time obscure
And wild winds batter weary hearts.
Still, a spirit strong endures.
Your light, your love, will not be lost.
Gone from us but still our guide.
Though doubts assail our every turn,
And maps are just a blur of lines,
When mountains shake, when oceans churn,
To memory we turn for signs
And your true compass is our guide.
Gone and missed with every breath
Your loving arms, your clear blue eyes.
That questing mind, those clever hands,
The calm that set the world to rights.
These perished parts, this cherished man,
This warrior who raged at death.
Rest easy now. The battle’s won.
Here in our hearts the flame burns on.
- by VS
[Read at the interment of Richard's ashes in Sackets Harbor Military Cemetery, Sept. 20, 2014]
The family moved to upstate New York in 1949 and he graduated from Sackets Harbor High School in 1954. He served in the US Army Reserves from 1956 to 1959. He spent his entire working career in retail, starting with the management training program at Sears shortly after graduating from Columbia University in 1958 and managing stores in the New York metropolitan area. Active in the local community, he served on both the Boards of the E.B. Crawford Library and Swinging Bridge Property Owners Association.
He was a man of many talents: a licensed pilot, an artist, a fount of information on history and politics, and an avid fan of baseball's Brooklyn Dodgers. He enjoyed boating, harness racing, and collecting Lionel and Marx New York Central model trains. He was a kind, brave, and generous man who will be deeply missed.
He is survived by his wife and best friend of 32 years, Virginia Schomp; his two daughters, Kathryn Romano, and her husband, Gary, of Montgomery, TX, and Kerry Bigness, and her husband, Paul Martin, of Smallwood, NY; his two sons: Randal Bigness, of East Stroudsburg, PA, and Richard "Chip" Bigness Jr., of Monticello; his sister, Marion Nye, and her husband, Harry, of Harrisburg, PA; his two brothers, James Bigness, and his wife, Cheryl, of Schenectady, NY, and John Bigness and his wife, Maureen, of East Greenbush, NY; his eight grandchildren: Joseph Romano, Vincent Romano, Gary Romano, Jessica Conti, Kristin Bigness, Jennifer Greico, Loretta Huldey, and Jonathan Martin; several great grandchildren and several nephews and nieces. In addition to his parents, he was predeceased by a brother, Donald, in 2011.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Richard's name to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City (mskcc.org/giving).
Candle
Gone from us but never lost.
You cannot lose the sun and stars
Though darkness for a time obscure
And wild winds batter weary hearts.
Still, a spirit strong endures.
Your light, your love, will not be lost.
Gone from us but still our guide.
Though doubts assail our every turn,
And maps are just a blur of lines,
When mountains shake, when oceans churn,
To memory we turn for signs
And your true compass is our guide.
Gone and missed with every breath
Your loving arms, your clear blue eyes.
That questing mind, those clever hands,
The calm that set the world to rights.
These perished parts, this cherished man,
This warrior who raged at death.
Rest easy now. The battle’s won.
Here in our hearts the flame burns on.
- by VS
[Read at the interment of Richard's ashes in Sackets Harbor Military Cemetery, Sept. 20, 2014]
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