William Ralph Rigdon, Sr., 97, of Tifton passed away Thursday, August 27, 2020, at his daughter’s residence in Bogart. A private family funeral service will be held on Sunday, August 30, 2020, at the Memorial Chapel of Tifton’s First Baptist Church with the Rev. Dr. Wayne Roe officiating. A graveside funeral service will be held for Mr. Rigdon at 3:00 p.m. on Sunday, August 30, 2020, at Oak Ridge Cemetery, where he will be laid to rest
Mark McCall, David McCall, Daniel Bemis, Matthew Bemis, William Rigdon, Max Roberts, Robert Rodgers, Ryan Becker, Brandon Fenton and Chris Williams will serve as pallbearers. Honorary pallbearers will be members of the JJM Sunday School class at Tifton’s First Baptist Church and members of the Tifton Kiwanis Club.
Born January 14, 1923 in Tift County, Mr. Rigdon was the son of the late William Rigdon and Mary Emma Terry Rigdon. He was also preceded in death by a sister, Evelyn Mims; two brothers, Grady Rigdon and Nick Rigdon; and one son-in-law, John McCall. He retired from Atwater Peacock Electric Contractors and owned and operated Rigdon’s Coin-Operated Laundry, which was a 70-year-old family business. He was a member of Tifton’s First Baptist Church, the Tifton Kiwanis Club, the American Legion and served with Meals on Wheels and the Red Cross Bloodmobile.
Mr. Rigdon’s passion was fishing and he loved to fish on the Florida flats and continued to fish into his nineties. He said “You forgot your worries there.” Yard work was another of his passions and he spent many happy hours on his lawn mower.
Mr. Rigdon proudly served in the United States Army Air Corps during World War II. He was assigned to the 490th bomb squad, 10th Air Force called the Burma Bridge Busters. He was stationed in the China, Burma and India theater.
Mr. Rigdon is survived by his wife, Evelyn Cottle Rigdon of Tifton, to whom he was married for 72 years; three daughters and two sons-in-law, Betty McCall of Rochelle, Carol and Dozier Rowe of Bogart and Gail and Jeff Bemis of Conyers; one son and daughter-in-law, Bill and Suzanne Rigdon of Alpharetta; one brother and sister-in-law, Sam and Carol Rigdon of Buena Vista; twelve grandchildren and their spouses, Mark and Brandi McCall, David and Christy McCall, Haley and Robert Rodgers, Rachael and Ryan Becker, Laura and Brandon Fenton, EmilyAnn and Chris Williams, Daniel Bemis, Matthew and Kayla Bemis, William and Collins Rigdon, Catherine and Katie Rigdon, Max Roberts and Alyson Roberts; eight great-grandchildren; and many nieces and nephews.
Memorial gifts may be made to Meals on Wheels, P. O. Box 2053, Tifton, GA 31793; or First Baptist Church, 404 Love Avenue, Tifton, GA 31794.