Martin Thigpen

Service for Martin Earl Thigpen, 81, of Cleburne will be conducted at 11:00 A.M., Friday, Dec. 15, 2017 in the United Presbyterian Church in Cleburne. The Reverend Kenny Rigoulot will officiate. Burial will follow in Greenacres Memorial Park. Visitation will be from 6:00 P.M. – 8:00 P.M., Thursday, at the funeral home.
Martin Earl Thigpen was born on February 6, 1936 in Franklinton, Louisiana. He went to be with his Lord and Maker Sunday December 10, 2017 and is survived by his loving wife of sixty years Martha Meleta Thigpen.
Martin is also survived by his son David Neal Thigpen and daughter Peggy Elizabeth Ricketts and her husband James Ricketts.
He also leaves behind the loves of his life—his grandchildren and great grandchildren.
Grandchildren are Bryan Ricketts and wife Danielle Ricketts, Laurie Cheatham and husband Michael Cheatham, Kayce Smith and husband Mark Smith, and Bailey Thigpen.
Great grandchildren are Grayson, Levi, Lilly, Clara, Kaitlyn, Jace, and Justyn.
Martin had a razor sharp memory and wit. He would recount stories from the time he was three years old living with his grandparents in Louisiana. His grandparents, who he called Mom and Pop, raised him from the time he was born until he was of school age, at which time he went to live with his mother and step father in New Orleans. He also had great respect for a woman named Bertha, who lived with his grandparents and was an influence on his life from birth to his teenage years.
Martin served in the Korean War from 1953 to 1957. He didn’t talk much about his time in service but was tremendously proud of having served his country. He visited all the war memorials three years ago during an Honor Flight trip with other veterans and was very appreciative that he was offered this opportunity.
In 1957, he and Martha married. They both worked and took care of their two small children, David and Peggy, while Martin attended Louisiana State University. A rabid, LSU and Tigers fan, you didn’t want to be in the same room with him when he was watching LSU play football. Many times Martha would retreat to the front porch until the game was over, knowing “Earl”, as she called him, would return after the 4th quarter ended.
During most of his adult professional life, Martin was a traveling salesman who enjoyed seeing new places and would take any opportunity to visit attractions in whatever town he was working.
He was a gourmet cook and one of his favorite places was in the kitchen making all sorts of wonderful meals. His daughter Peggy asked him once for some recipes and he tried to write them down but couldn’t because the measurements were in his head. He could put a little of this or that or improvise an alternate ingredient and the result was always amazing. One of his specialties was divinity. Every Christmas, he made it because it was a particular favorite of his grandson, Bryan. Bailey remembers sitting at the bar in the kitchen eating Apple Jacks watching Pawpaw cook bacon. Every grandchild has some sort of memory of Pawpaw being in the kitchen cooking something that smelled wonderful.
Practical jokes were another specialty of Martin’s. He enjoyed wrapping Christmas gifts with loose pecans or metal nutcrackers in the packaging so when shaken they would rattle and sound mysterious. When we would come for Christmas he would greet family members at the door with his black “BahHumbug” Santa hat on. Once when she was about six years old, he wrapped a lump of coal for his granddaughter Laurie and couldn’t wait for her to open it. She called his bluff though because that turned out to be her favorite gift and she played with it for a week. He was the only one who called her Liz or Big Red and he loved her feistiness. His granddaughter Kayce remembers being excited to open a large package to find a smaller package within then when that was opened an even smaller package down to the smallest package of all containing the actual gift.
Martin and Martha picked up their great grandchildren Kaitlyn, Jace, and Justyn from daycare and school from the time the boys were in diapers and it was the highlight of Martin’s week. The children remember their Pawpaw and the special time he and Granny had just for them. He would leave home an hour early on Fridays to go pick them up from school because he wanted to be first in line. Martin could be a gruff and moody person but mellowed the minute his first grandchild was born and each grandchild that followed he mellowed a little more and a little more. He loved them all but enjoyed his seven great grandchildren, Grayson, Levi, Lilly, Clara, Kaitlyn, Jace, and Justyn, most of all.
There are many more parts to Martin Thigpen’s life and persona. Many more than can be remembered at one time. He loved trains and Johnnie Cash. He loved being busy and being outside working in the yard whether it was digging a new flower bed or building an arbor or hanging bird feeders. He loved socializing and telling stories and laughing with friends. He loved model trains and had a model train hobby for over twenty years. He loved his basset hounds and would feed them popsicles. He enjoyed flying so earned his pilot’s license and purchased a single engine Cessna airplane so he could fly all the time. He took his family flying once at Christmas to see the Christmas lights from the air. Martin and Martha enjoyed camping together at Thousand Trails. Martin was a high school football referee for many years. Martin and his son David had a shared love for movies and saw many of the latest releases together.
One of Martin’s favorite weekday activities was the Presbyterian Men’s Bible Study on Tuesdays. He loved the fellowship and comradery and was known to start a debate or two with his friends in the group. He had a quiet but strong faith in the Lord. His final wishes were found in his personal effects and included the following: “After service start a party. Celebrate my life. Be certain that I am on my way to see my Maker. That should be an occasion for joy and gladness. Start celebration with Les Bon Ton Roulet—Let the Good Times Roll”.