Retha Bigham, 79, died Sunday, May 26, 2024. She leaves two children, a son, Randy Bigham, and a daughter, Melody Bigham. A second daughter, Melinda Bigham, died in 2022. Retha is also survived by two brothers, Jimmy Nunn of Lufkin and Darrell Nunn of Tyler.

Retha Gail Nunn was born on June 1, 1944, in Athens, Texas, the first child of Rev. Wilson Ellis Nunn and the former Evie Moreen Tanner.

Retha enrolled in Ennis High School, graduating in 1962. She then attended Jacksonville Baptist College in Jacksonville, Texas, earning an Associate Degree in Music Education in 1964. Retha afterward chose Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, Texas to acquire her associate degree in Elementary Education in 1966.

In the summers of her college life, Retha returned to Ennis where she worked as a waitress for Dan's Town House. There she met Macalee Bigham, head hostess of the restaurant. Macalee's son, Lloyd, was in the United States Marine Corps, fighting in De Nang, Vietnam. After Lloyd was shot by a sniper and treated for his wounds in a field hospital, it was suggested to Retha that she write letters of encouragement to Lloyd. The two corresponded for several months, falling in love. After Lloyd's return from Vietnam, the pair married on September 1, 1967, in Keltys.

The Bighams' first child was born June 20, 1968, a son they named Randy Bryan. Their second child, a daughter, was born Melinda Dee Anne on July 7, 1971. Their third child, also a daughter, was born Melody Dawn on October 7, 1974. At her death, Retha also had three grandchildren, Jakob, Adrianna and Michael and four great-grandchildren, Diesel, Mayah, Derrick III and Elijah.

Retha's musical abilities as a pianist and singer won her acclaim throughout the city, county and state. She provided entertainment for numerous church and community activities in Ennis, writing and performing original and requested songs. She played a 1940s chanteuse in a large program celebrating Ennis' centennial in 1972 and sang for various civic organizations in Ennis, Corsicana, and Waxahachie. Originally an organist and frequent guest singer at the First Baptist Church of Ennis, she eventually became pianist for Friendship Baptist Church,

Retha provided personal training in piano to several children and young adults in the 1970s and, in the early 2000s, she again sought to help those interested in learning piano, hosting an annual recital.

Always theatrically inclined, Retha appeared in a production of "South Pacific" at the Warehouse Living Arts Center in Corsicana in 1985. She was known for her creativity in staging school plays at Palmer Elementary in the '70s and '80s, and in 2008 she was a volunteer with the Ellis County Honor Flight program when the group flew to Washington, D. C., to visit the WWII Memorial.

Retha enjoyed antiquing and attending local estate sales with her daughters, Melinda and Melody, sharing her devout Christianity with Melinda and her love of gardening with Melody. She also frequently joined her son, Randy, on business trips to many cities and several countries, including New York, Boston, Canada, England and France.

In recent years, after being diagnosed with bone cancer, Retha received invaluable assistance from her devoted daughter-in-law, Kat Armstrong Salik, a son-in-law, David Sims and his son Landon and a friend in California, Gregg Jasper. Retha was also aided by dedicated friends and neighbors Suzanne Wilson and Norma Martinez. Her business affairs were lovingly managed by her friend, Bobbie Dlabaj, a fellow member of Friendship Baptist Church.

Celebration of Retha's Life will be held at Friendship Baptist Church, 1101 S. Hall Street, Ennis , Thursday, May 30, 2024 at 10:30 a.m. with Bert Sigala officiating.

There will be a lunch following the service. Please feel free to bring a dish.