Tammy Ida Bigham

Tammy Ida Bigham was born on July 30, 1967, in Portage, Wisconsin, and lived a life full of love, color, and adventure. She attended and graduated from Rio High School in 1985. She was a woman whose free spirit and generous heart left a lasting impression on everyone she met. She passed away peacefully at home on January 15, 2026, at 6:37 p.m., surrounded by the love of her family and the comfort of her faithful dog, Diesel. 

She was a devoted mother, but her greatest joy came from being “Granny.” Her grandsons, Beckett and Benny Modglin, were the center of her universe, and she poured her heart into every moment she spent with them. Being their grandma wasn’t just a role she loved, it was her greatest happiness. 

A true hippie at heart with a gypsy soul, she had a love for travel and gardening. She found peace with her hands in the soil and joy in exploring new places with her husband, Jim. They found excitement in discovering new places, meeting new people, and collecting memories along the way. Those journeys were a reflection of their life together and the miles they traveled became stories, laughter, and moments that will be treasured forever. She lived authentically, guided by compassion, and an open heart.

 She had a rare gift for loving beyond boundaries. She bridged gaps for many children throughout her life, loving them as if they were her own. She especially opened her heart and home to her nieces and nephews, raising cousins as siblings and providing them with stability, care, and unconditional love.

 She grew up on her family’s dairy farm, where she learned the values of hard work, resilience, and deep family connection. Some of her most cherished recent moments were spent alongside her family and friends remodeling the old family farmhouse, bringing it back to life piece by piece. Being surrounded once again by the same family she had shared her childhood days with filled her heart with joy, nostalgia, and a sense of coming full circle. It was more than a renovation; it was a return home.

 For more than 20 years, she worked at the Lutheran Home nursing facility, where her compassion and loving spirit were felt by countless residents and families. She treated residents with dignity, patience, and genuine love, offering comfort, kindness, and companionship in every season of life.

 She was preceded in death by her father, Dwain Dettman; her grandparents, William Sr. and Emma Searvogel, and Charlie and Viola Dettman; her aunt and second mother, Ardell Rades; her cousin and lifelong best friend, Rhonda Searvogel; her uncles, Richard SearVogel and William Searvogel Jr.; and her aunt, Geraldine Searvogel.

 She is survived by her loving husband, James Bigham; her dog, Diesel, her daughter, Destiny (Ryan) Modglin; her cherished grandsons, Beckett and Benny Modglin; her beloved mother, Karen (Everett) Christopherson; her sisters, Amber Christopherson and Wendy (Will) Dunsen; the children she raised and loved as her own, Rena (Joel) Mcharry, Crystal (David) Seals, John (Kelly) Behm, Jacob (Lindsey) Behm, Chelsea (Harley) Showalter, and Hunter (Cierra) Mcharry; and several nieces, nephews, great nieces, and great nephews. Her legacy lives on in the lives she touched, the children she nurtured, and the love she gave so freely. She will be deeply missed, forever cherished, and lovingly remembered.

 In honor of her wishes there will be no service.