Neva Bigner Tarpley, 83, of Pollock, went home to be with the Lord on Tuesday, November 14, 2017, at the LaSalle General Hospital of Jena.
She was born February 19, 1934 to the union of her parents, Albert and Ruby Smith Bigner.
Mrs. Tarpley was a current member of Philadelphia Baptist Church. She was active in the churches previously pastored by her husband, teaching Sunday school and Mission Friends classes on Wednesday nights. She enjoyed travel, taking tours across America and overseas to Israel. She also enjoyed making scrapbooks of her travels and her grandchildren. She enjoyed gardening immensely.
During her working life, she taught third grade at Ruby Wise Elementary and Ball Elementary. Following her teaching career she went on to be the Nursing Home Administrator for Woods Haven Nursing Home. She was a loving and devoted wife, mother, grandmother, sister and friend who was dearly loved and will be deeply missed by those that knew and loved her.
Services celebrating her life were held at 12:30 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 18, in the chapel of Hixson Brothers Funeral Home in Pineville with Dr. Philip Robertson and Rev. Todd Norris officiating.
Interment followed in the Friendship Cemetery of Fishville under direction of Hixson Brothers, Inc. of Pineville.
She was preceded in death by her parents, and a sister, Melva Bigner Poole.
Those left to cherish her memory are her husband of 63 years, Reverend Huey P. “H.P.” Tarpley; daughters, Nancy Tarpley Barnard, Rachel Elizabeth Tarpley McWilliams and Deborah Tarpley Azar and husband, George James Azar, III; grandchildren, Benjamin Tarpley Barnard, Blake Barnard (Amy), Barrett Barnard, Camille Alexandra Azar, George James “Beau” Azar, IV, Caroline Adele Azar; brother, Albert Doyle “Sonny” Bigner, Jr.
(Bonnie) and sisters, Jerlene Bigner Johnson (Lester) and Patricia Bigner and a host of other family members and friends.
Pallbearers were David Barnard, Benjamin Barnard, Barrett Barnard, Beau Azar, George Azar and Jason Black.