Willfred Frank Bigott was born to Oscar Frank Bigott and Lillie Annie Frieda Beken on November 27, 1929, at home in Ganado, TX, the first of seven children. He was baptized at Ganado Lutheran Church on February 23, 1930, in Ganado TX, his sponsors were his grandparents Frank and Mari Bigott, and, Fritz and Anna Beken. He was confirmed on May 7, 1944, at St. James American Lutheran Church in Ganado, TX.

He was the first of seven children helping his parents on the farm milking cows before and after school, shucking corn, picking cotton, helping his mother with the garden. They did not have any running water or electricity at that time. As the eldest he helped raise his siblings, and as he got older, he delivered 3 different newspapers throughout town and worked at the feed store. School was a one-mile walk, both ways.

His family moved to Deer Park near Houston as he was entering high school where he excelled at football and baseball. His strikeout record of 22 strikeouts in a single game is still the school record. His junior year his football team was undefeated, which he was very proud of. He graduated from Deer Park High School in May of 1947 with a class of 13 students. He was the Duke of the Senior Carnation Ball and with the encouragement of Coach Couch, (who was a tremendous influence in his life), he was determined to become a Lutheran preacher. He applied and was accepted at Texas Lutheran College in Seguin, TX where he majored in Greek and minored in German, graduating in May of 1951. It was at TLC that he met Martha Marie Haase, whom he wed on June 10, 1951. He was accepted into Wartburg Theological Seminary in Dubuque, IA where he graduated in May of 1954. Their first born, Bonnie Lynn, was born in September of 1953; wanting their children to be born in Texas, Willfred stayed in Texas with Martha until after her birth. Wartburg granted Willfred a little leniency to catch up with his studies.

His career in ministry began immediately upon graduation as he was called as the first full time resident pastor of St. Paul Lutheran Church of Levelland, TX. To entice him to come, the church built a parsonage for his young family before they even broke ground on the new church. They moved into the parsonage on July 19, 1954, they broke ground for the new church sanctuary that August, and the church was dedicated January 15, 1956. While he was in Levelland, he assisted several Lutheran churches in near-by communities, as well as across the border in New Mexico to build their membership and remain viable; this was to be his calling and gift - building and expanding ministries. In June of 1956 a son, Mark, was born to this growing family. Willfred was called in 1957 to serve as associate pastor at Grace Lutheran Church in San Antonio, TX. In February of 1958 a daughter, Merri Jean, was born. The Bigott family of five was now complete.

During the summer of 1962, Willfred interned at a youth camp, Outlaw Ranch, in South Dakota, taking his family of five in his Volkswagen Beetle and sleeping at parks along the way, to see if the passion of Christian camp development was truly in his heart. It was! He accepted the call in 1963 to be the first executive director of camping for the Southern District of the American Lutheran Church in Kerrville, TX. His innovation to use college age students as counselors allowed him to build a highly successful program at Camp Chrysalis in Kerrville, tent camping in Georgetown, TX, and beach camping on Padre Island - Corpus Christi, TX. He was preaching at a different church virtually every Sunday around Texas and visited most college campuses throughout the fall, winter, and spring to recruit dynamic students to become his counselors and spread the news of this new camping dynamic.

He was then called and served as the first executive director of camping in the Southwestern District at Camp Luther Crest in Alexandria, MN in 1968. This Texan introduced campers not only to year-round camping but to border lake canoeing and winter tent camping.

His innovation and spirit brought him to the attention of LOMA, Lutheran Outdoor Ministry Association, of the North Pacific District, American Lutheran Church in Seattle, WA. They hired him as the executive director of camping in 1972. In this position he led multiple camps around the Pacific Northwest, including the Ship Christian which took campers throughout the Puget Sound, as well as trips for families and adults to Alaska and back.

In 1975 he returned to church ministry and served as the associate pastor at Phinney Ridge Lutheran Church Seattle, WA. In June of 1978 he was hired to lead the ministry of counseling at Zion Lutheran Church in Kerrville which led him to return to school to earn his masters of family and marriage therapy degree from Saint Mary's University, San Antonio, TX. In 1981 he joined Buxbaum and Associates of San Antonio as a professional family counselor, opening an office in Kerrville. In 1982 he returned to church ministry serving as senior pastor at Zion Lutheran Church in Brenham, TX while he continued his counseling practice. In 1987 he returned to Kerrville using his counseling skills as Chief Chaplin at the VA Regional Medical Center where he started a Hospice Unit and had a chapel built for weekly church service. He then retired and worked for many years as Chaplain for Peterson Hospice, Chief Chaplain for Sid Peterson Memorial Hospital while serving St. James Lutheran Church in Harper, TX where he then sponsored the next pastor in training who eventually became their pastor. This then gave him the time and flexibility to be the ''church in crisis'' interim pastor, serving a multitude of churches going through any number of negative situations and using all the powerful tools of his years of experience and counseling to lead churches back to the path of true ministry.

Many of his camp counselors eventually became pastors, youth workers, and dedicated Christian leaders, touching the hearts and souls of literally thousands of youth and families. Willfred's ability to see the big picture and make the tough decisions were clearly spirit led.

He served on numerous district and national boards, committees, and associations all serving youth, families, and camping. He even taught camp counseling courses at Pacific Lutheran University.

Even in his last days living in a memory care facility, he counselled families of dying residents, provided table prayers before every meal; and after each meal, a short positive motivational talk to inspire staff and residents. He would share the love of Christ, His birth, and the miracle of His resurrection to all who would listen, no matter where he was.

Services will be held at Zion Lutheran Church, 624 Barnett St, Kerrville, TX 78028, Officiant Rev. Marcus Bigott (grandson) Friday March 15, 2024, at 10 AM. A private graveside service will take place following the service in Moulton, TX. In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to Cross Trails Ministry, 391 Upper Turtle Creek Rd., Kerrville, TX 78028, https://crosstrails.org/donate/ or mail check to: Cross Trails.

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