George Franklin Bigelow

His life started in Sulphur Springs, Arkansas on February 22, 1936. His parents, George and Cletys, raised George and his younger “thister,” Twyla, in a small house that was later replaced by a newly built chicken coop because it was nicer and later moving to Kansas City, Kansas near City Park. The park was George’s playground and there he began his lifelong love for the outdoors and archery. While attending Wyandotte High School, he met Carol Schmidt another lifelong love resulting in a marriage of 68 years. They had 2 daughters, Laurie and Jaina. George and Carol built their forever home surrounded by the outdoors he loved. His passion for archery continued and it led to many accomplishments through hunting and tournaments. He was the first person to shoot a whitetail deer in Wyandotte County, when permits were first required and the first to have a Kansas whitetail deer recorded in Pope and Young in 1965. He was the National Champion in the National Field Archery Association competition and the first to do it with a compound bow in 1969. In every aspect of archery, he made lifelong friends along the way. He was even a co-founder of the Wyandotte Bowhunters.

In 1960, he was initiated into the Pipefitters Local Union 533. He worked hard to give his family everything they needed and more. He went on to teach classes at the Pipefitters Apprenticeship School and won numerous awards before retiring in 1997.

He was a member of the Kansas Freemasons Wyandotte Lodge No. 3 for 65 years.

With the combination of all of his experiences in his life and the people he met along the way, he inevitably had many stories to tell. Ask anyone and they will tell you George had some wonderful stories and told them with a flare all his own. He could entertain us with his humor and wide collection of stories. He loved to read and the impressive thing is he retained it all. His memory was sharp in those 88 years to remember all of those stories and everyone’s names. That all ended on October 3, 2024.

George Bigelow exemplified the quote “From humble beginnings come great things.” He will be profoundly missed by all who knew and loved him; but, for his girls he has left a hollowness that will never be filled.

He is survived by his loving wife Carol; two daughters, Laurie Ishmael (Spencer) of Bonner Springs, KS and Jaina Shafer (Jim) of Bridgeport, WV; two grandsons, Justin Ishmael of Kansas City, MO and Josh Ishmael (Jessica) of Linwood, KS; three great grandchildren, Jackson, Cole and Sadie; and his sister, Twyla Weien of Garnett, KS.

In lieu of flowers, you may donate to the Shriner’s Hospital for Children.

A visitation for George will be held Friday, October 11, 2024 from 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM at Chapel Hill - Butler Funeral Home, 701 North 94th Street, Kansas City, Kansas 66112, followed by a funeral service at 12:00 PM.