Charlotte lawyer of 50 years and U.S. Navy vet, Richard A. Bigger Jr., dies at 85
Richard “Randy” Andrew Bigger Jr. of Charlotte died at the age of 85 on May 23, one week after after suffering a stroke.
Bigger Jr., a veteran of the United States Navy and devoted Charlottean, was a practicing lawyer for 50 years and an active member of his community for most of his life, according to his obituary.
The son of Richard Andrew Bigger, Sr. and Hazel Simpson Bigger, Bigger Jr. attended Myers Park High School before graduating from Princeton University.
In the two years that followed his graduation from Princeton, Bigger Jr. served as an active duty member of the United States Navy before returning home to attend the Law School of the University of Virginia.
As a lawyer, Bigger Jr. specialized in estate planning and estate administration, his obituary states.
Aside from his professional career as a lawyer, Bigger Jr. was heavily devoted to his faith. He was a regular member of the Myers Park Presbyterian Church, where he served as a deacon, elder, and Sunday school teacher, and also served as Chairman of Mecklenburg Presbytery in 1976 and Moderator of Mecklenburg Presbytery in 1978.
Additionally, Bigger Jr. also served as Protestant co-chairman of the Charlotte chapter of the National Conference of Christians and Jews and a trustee of the Johnson C. Smith Theological Seminary.
“Folks, this man was amazing in every way, a true man of God and he will be sorely missed,” Bigger Jr.’s son-in-law, Galen Sanderson, wrote in a social media post about the family’s patriarch.
Although most of his active work took place in Charlotte, Bigger Jr. was also a member of a key family known well by lifelong York County residents.
In the summer of 2020, a historic home in Clover that once belonged to the Bigger family was sold to developers. The home was built between 1845 and 1847 by James Bigger III who was a descendant of Scottish immigrants who came to the U.S. in the early 1700’s, according to a petition to save the Bigger House.
Allison Love, a council member of York County’s District 2, interviewed Bigger Jr. for a video about the home in 2020 and told The Charlotte Observer that it was a moment she’ll always cherish.
“Saving (the) home was a goal of mine and telling its rich history was an important aspect of that,” Love said. “Interviewing Randy in the parking deck of the home he was in on a rainy day during COVID is a special memory.”
Love’s main goal has always been to preserve the area’s historic charm and manage rapid growth. In a social media post published by Love, she reveals the Bigger House was a main focus in her efforts.
“This is the oldest home in the LW (Lake Wylie) area and its history is very rich throughout D2 and it was one we were focused on when talking about the Bethel Lake Wylie Preservation Park District,” Love wrote. “I am so thankful for the time and history lesson with Mr. Randy Bigger.”
The property is currently for sale for commercial development and is priced at more than $1.6 million, although it was originally sold to developers for $500,000 two years ago.
Bigger Jr. is survived by his wife of 60 years, Margaret Goldsborough Bigger, his daughter and her husband, Joy Bigger Sanderon and Galen Sanderson, and his grandsons, Charles, Andrew, James, and Ryan.
