Bruegel

Barbara (Bobbie) Jean Biggs Bruegel died peacefully at home, surrounded by loved ones on March 3, 2021. Memorial service will be held on Monday, March 15, at 11 a.m. in the First Methodist Church of Dimmitt with the Rev. T.C. Broom officiating. Local arrangements are under the care of Colonial Funeral Home of Dimmitt.

Born on January 2, 1934, Bobbie completed 87 years of a life well lived. She was born to Edwin (Ned) Forrest Biggs and Inez Harriett MacQuoid Biggs in Lakewood, Ohio. Working for the Tennessee Valley Authority, Ned was a civil engineer, specializing in building dams in the U.S., and later consulting internationally. By the time Bobbie graduated from high school, she had lived in 14 locations including Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina, Alabama, and finally graduating in Beaumont, Texas.

Bobbie had a beautiful singing voice. In high school, she performed with an internationally recognized singing group, The Melody Maids. Touted as musical ambassadors, the Melody Maids traveled around the country and to England, performing primarily at U.S. military installations. During Bobbie’s Melody Maids years, she performed in New Orleans, Denver, New York City, Atlantic City, Philadelphia, and for a U. N. event in Washington D.C., with acknowledgments published in several newspapers from U.S. Speaker of the House, Sam Rayburn, and U.S. Navy Admiral Chester Nimitz.

Bobbie set off for college, first attending TCU in Fort Worth, and graduating from Texas Tech University in Lubbock, where she was active with the Tech Rodeo Association and Delta Delta Delta Sorority. Although her first choice was to study architecture, women were not encouraged to pursue the architectural profession. Bobbie graduated in 1956 with an accounting degree, being one of only a few women in the accounting department at the time. She continued to travel as her parents were stationed in Iraq and South America, and Bobbie traveled to visit them. After college, Bobbie started her career in accounting with the Permian Oil Company in Midland. While working in Midland, Bobbie met the love of her life, Fred Bruegel from Dimmitt. They were introduced by a mutual friend in Midland, had their first date in March 1959, and they were married in December of 1959. They would both say it was “love at first sight.” Bobbie was preparing for another move, this time to Arizona, when Fred popped the question. Fred and Bobbie were married in Scottsdale, Arizona and honeymooned in Aspen, Colorado.

Her days of constantly moving were over, and she made her home in Dimmitt, Texas with Fred. She brought her accounting skills to the family, handling the books for Fred and several other related businesses. In addition to being the family accountant, Bobbie spent the 60’s, 70’s, and 80’s raising five children, Heidi, KaKa, Wendy, Mark and Jon. Bobbie and Fred were active with every child or school-related activity. As a 4-H and FFA mom, Bobbie helped with cooking and sewing projects, canning, method demonstrations, rifle competitions, raising sheep and pigs as show animals, and teaching the accounting principles for having a successful animal project, in addition to driving kids to all the myriad competitions. The boys were active in Industrial Arts, so she helped raise money for the Industrial Arts program and drove a group of students across the country to Philadelphia to compete with their furniture and wood working projects. All five kids were involved with sports and/or band and cheerleading. Football games and band competitions consumed every fall, and she never missed a competition. Cheerleading lasted from fall to the spring from junior high through high school-more driving and cheering on the team. Bobbie was also an incredible seamstress. She made many of the girls’ outfits as well as costumes for the cast in one-act plays. Bobbie did not need to buy a pattern. If she had a picture or drawing, she could create her own sewing patterns from newspapers.

Bobbie was a whiz on the computer. She brought one of the first computing systems to Dimmitt, and she had a home PC before most people had used a computer at work. In the early years of computing, Bobbie was able to rebuild or repair her computers, constantly upgrading to the newest hardware and software. She routinely had to clear out viruses on the computers that the children and grandchildren would inadvertently introduce.

As each child graduated from high school, Bobbie and Fred spent many weeks over many years moving each child several times during their college years. They both supported each child’s individual journey through college, sometimes through more than one college. Once the kids were out of the house, Bobbie was ready to start traveling again.

She had a love for seeing new places and meeting new people. Although usually an introvert, Bobbie met new people easily, and she enjoyed learning about their experiences. Bobbie was also very active in tracing the genealogy of every family member. She would investigate names, locations, and dates, following each line as far back as possible. In 2017, Bobbie and Fred traveled to Scotland with family, looking for hints of where several relatives may have lived. Bobbie celebrated her 80th birthday in New York City, enjoying the shows and museums. Her 85th birthday was celebrated in Stonington and Mystic, Connecticut. Bobbie also loved the ocean, and Florida was a favorite place for seeing relatives while enjoying the beach. A frequent cruiser, she and Fred loved traveling with family and friends, bringing grandchildren along on some of their adventures. Bobbie was always planning their next trip.

Bobbie was the consummate supporter of anyone who was hurting or excluded. Probably because she moved so often as a child and was told she could not pursue her first career choice, Bobbie wanted to help anyone else who felt left out. Bobbie will be missed by everyone who knew her, but most of all by her best friend and love, Fred.

Bobbie was preceded in death by her parents, brother William Biggs, and sister Joanne Davidson. She is survived by her husband, Fred; children, Heidi Cox of Fort Worth, Katrina Barton (Robert) and Wendy Launius (Bob) of Austin, Mark (Mary) of Lexington, SC, and Jon (Kim) of Lubbock; grandchildren, Patrick (Brianna) and Riley (Kelsi) Cox, Sydney (Austin) Fidler, Bailey (Eston) Klutts, Quincy Barton, Dillon (Alyse), Barrett, Megan, and Emery Launius, Kyla and Ethan Bruegel, Jon David (Katherine), Nathan and Anna Bruegel, and Sara (David) Mikkelson; greatgrandchildren, Elise Bruegel and William Mikkelson; and many nieces, nephews, and extended family members.

Memorials may be made to First United Methodist Church of Dimmitt Scholarship Fund, 110 SW 3rd, Dimmitt, TX 79027 or the Jo Biggs Davidson Memorial Endowed Scholarship, supporting the Texas Tech University Rodeo Team scholarship program, 2017 Texas Tech Pkwy, Lubbock, TX 79409.