You couldn’t have a better big brother than Bill Biggs.  Bill went to be with his Heavenly Father Sunday morning. He is now reunited with my parents, and my three brothers and sister who have gone before.

A memorial service is being planned at New Life Ranch on April 1, 2021 (Bill’s birthday).

I was five when my Mother passed and left my Dad with five boys to raise. My Mother had been married before and her husband died, leaving her with a son and daughter. She met my Dad during World War II, they married and had five boys in eight years.

Bill was the oldest of five and he became the surrogate parent for his four latchkey brothers. He was only 13 when he had to deal with the loss of his mother and the corralling of his younger brothers. All things considered, he did a great job.

Bill fell in love with Tulsa Bible Church, which was one block from our house when we were growing up. He looked up to Pastor Bob Kelso, who was a great Bible teacher and pastor

And Bill met the Rev. Willard Heck and his wife Ruth Heck at TBC. That was a life changer for Bill and our family.

Rev. Heck founded Tulsa Bible Church and he founded New Life Ranch, a Christian camp in the foothills of the Ozarks near Siloam Springs, Arkansas. It’s in Oklahoma and Flint Creek runs through the camp. Bill started out as a camper. As years passed, he became a counselor, summer director and eventually a popular speaker.

Eight years ago, Bill developed Parkinson’s Disease and it was what he had when he passed at age 74.  Bill had a degree from Los Angeles Baptist College and he got a master’s degree from The University of Tulsa.  He loved sports, especially baseball and the Cincinnati Reds in particular. Decades ago, he bought a special radio to listen the radio broadcasts of Cincinnati games.

Bill was an educator and a minister of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He made less money that he could have because he worked for Christian schools, like Tulsa Christian Academy, Moody Christian Academy and Mingo Valley Christian School. His first teaching job was at a Christian school in Pensacola, Florida.

Bill taught biology. He explained the theory of evolution and then he presented the facts and how those facts were consistent with the Creation Story in the Bible.  Hundreds, if not thousands, of students and campers were encouraged in their faith in Jesus Christ by my big brother Bill Biggs.

We had a special bond. He was the oldest – I was the youngest. He was very kind to me and he would help me so much through the years.

When we started the Tulsa Beacon, he asked how he could help. For almost 20 years, he was a picker in our college football predictions. We laughed a lot about those picks.

Bill was a coin collector. It was more than a hobby to him. He was so good at finding valuable coins that he formed a relationship with a local coin store. They liked him as a person and they appreciated his knowledge and willingness to research the coin market.

Bill loved to fish. He would sit on the edge of Flint Creek for hours and catch fish in the summer.

When we were kids, we visited our Uncle Alton and Aunt Mildred in Conway, Arkansas. Uncle Alton was an expert crappie fisherman and Bill enjoyed those times  when he took us fishing  near Needs Creek, Arkansas.

Bill and my late brother Tom had a special bond. They were the two oldest brothers and they really liked each other. They shared the same sense of humor and love for the Lord Jesus.

Tom had kidney disease and needed a transplant. Bill and I went in to see if one of us was a match to donate a kidney to Tom. I’ll be honest – I wasn’t excited about the prospect of donating a kidney. It turns out that Bill was a better match and he didn’t hesitate to offer his kidney.

Is there a greater sacrifice that one brother could make for another? I don’t think so.

Bill loved Keri, his wife, whom he met and wooed while they both worked summers at New Life Ranch (sometimes called New ‘Wife’ Ranch in jest). They were madly in love and Keri has been an outstanding caregiver to Bill during his time with Parkinson’s Disease.

Bill loved kids and none more than his sons, Bradley and Benjamin. They were the joy of his life. Bill and Keri’s example led my two nephews into a life of faith in Christ. Both have been heavily involved in the ministry of New Life Ranch.

Bill was 38 when he got married and in his 40s when his sons were born. So he didn’t meet any grandchildren in this life but he will in Heaven.

Bill’s medical situation was slow in developing so our family had time to adjust to the idea of losing him. But you never really get prepared. I know that he is in a better place – Heaven – and reunited with friends and family. Bill was a Christian prayer warrior and he prayed constantly for family and friends.

But the separation is difficult. I will miss our phone calls and his sense of humor. He had a gentle way of encouraging me to do the right thing.

Tom, when he was in poor health, used to quote the old hymn, “This world is not my home, I’m just a passin’ through.” 

Now I can look with hope toward Heaven and someday when I can see my brother Bill again.

Fishing jokes…

(Bill would want me to put some jokes on the end of this column).

One day a rather inebriated ice fisherman drilled a hole in the ice and peered into the hole and a loud voice from above said, “There are no fish down there.”

He walked several yards away and drilled another hole and peered into the hole and again the voice said, “There’s no fish down there.”

He then walked about 50 yards away and drilled another hole and again the voice said, “There’s no fish down there.” He looked up into the sky and asked, “God, is that you?”

“No, you idiot,” the voice said, “it’s the rink manager.”

Bubba invites his friend George the Game Warden to go fishing. Bubba rows out to the center of the lake, opens his tackle box, pulls out a stick of dynamite, lights it, and throws it overboard.

George exclaims “What are you doing? You can’t do that, it’s illegal ”

Bubba calmly lights another stick, hands it to George, and says, “Are you gonna talk or fish!”

The little kid sat on the side of the road with a fishing line down the drain. Feeling sorry for him, and wanting to humor him, a lady gave him 50 cents, and kindly asked “How many have you caught?”

“You’re the tenth this morning,” was the reply.