Obituary for Barbara Bigelow Lipscomb, 96

Oct. 14, 1923 — Sept. 2, 2020

Barbara (“Bobbie”) Bigelow Lipscomb was born on October 14, 1923, to Margaret(Eichelberger) and Palmer Bigelow.  From her father, a nurseryman, she inherited a love of nature.  From her mother she inherited a phrase now imbedded deeply in the family psyche: we must be up and doing.  She grew up in Northborough, Mass, graduating from Northborough High School in 1941 and the University of Massachusetts in 1946. After graduation, she worked for Travelers Aid in Chicago where she met Navy Chaplain James W. Lipscomb.  They were married in Holly Springs, Mississippi on June 10, 1946.  The first two years of their marriage were spent on Guam, where their son, Jim, was born. A Navy reassignment then took them to Great Lakes Naval Station in Illinois, where their son, Ed, was born.  The next Navy move took them to Plymouth, England. When Rev. Lipscomb reentered civilian life in 1951, he accepted a call to the Presbyterian church in Philadelphia, Mississippi, where Barbara’s life as a pastor’s wife began.  In 1957, Rev. Lipscomb  accepted a call to the First Presbyterian Church in Ruston. Ten years later, Barbara earned her Master’s Degree in Library Science from Louisiana State University, and worked as Head Humanities Librarian until her retirement.  In 1974, she was one of the founding members of John Knox Presbyterian church.

Always an avid gardener, bird watcher, rock hound, player of word games, and canner of pickles, beans, beets, and tomatoes, she took up quilting as an additional hobby in her retirement.  She took great joy in visits from her grandchildren, Jennifer, Melissa, Ben, and Laura.  She was preceded in death by her parents, husband, and brothers Bill and Ned, and many beloved cats and dogs.  She is survived by her sister Pat Tomlinson of New York, sister-in-law Muffie Bigelow of Massachusetts, her sons Jim(Mary) and Ed(Linda), her grandchildren, and eight great-grandchildren, Jackson, Grant, Lucy, Max, Josie, Ernie, Ralph, and Martez.

The family especially wishes to express gratitude to the faithful caregivers who were there day and night serving her needs and gently and kindly doing whatever they could for her safety and comfort. Thank you, Betty Williams, Ruby Ridley, Ruby Dawson, Dorothy Martin, and Michelle Galbreath, Pam Faile and also Linda Johnson.

A graveside service will be held at the Kilpatrick’s Memorial Gardens on Kentucky Avenue in Ruston at 10 a.m. Monday, September 7, 2020.  Visitation will be at 9:30-10:00 A.M., Monday, September 7, 2020 at Kilpatrick’s Memorial Garden, under the direction of Kilpatrick Funeral Home of Ruston.  In lieu of flowers, memorials may be sent to John Knox Presbyterian Church, or to the Lincoln Parish Library Bookmobile.

The family has chosen this parting hymn as an expression of what Barbara treasured in life. “For the Beauty of the Earth.”

1. For the beauty of the earth,
   for the glory of the skies,
   for the love which from our birth
   over and around us lies.
   Christ, our Lord, to you we raise
   this, our hymn of grateful praise.

2. For the wonder of each hour
   of the day and of the night,
   hill and vale and tree and flower,
   sun and moon and stars of light.
   Christ, our Lord, to you we raise
   this, our hymn of grateful praise.

3. For the joy of human love,
   brother, sister, parent, child,
   friends on earth, and friends above,
   for all gentle thoughts and mild.
   Christ, our Lord, to you we raise
   this, our hymn of grateful praise.

4. For yourself, best gift divine,
   to the world so freely given,
   agent of God’s grand design:
   peace on earth and joy in heaven.
   Christ, our Lord, to you we raise
   this, our hymn of grateful praise.

      -Folliot Pierpont, 1864. Public domain

Online condolences may be sent to the family at www.kilpatrickfuneralhomes.com