Robert James Pettigrew, Sr.

Robert James Pettigrew, Sr., 88, passed away on Sunday, June 8, 2025, at Baylor Scott & White Medical Center – Hillcrest in Waco.

A memorial service will be held, at 1:00 p.m. Saturday, June 21, 2025, at Wilkirson-Hatch-Bailey Funeral Home Chapel, 6101 Bosque Blvd., with the Rev. Ron Durham officiating. Visitation will be held one hour prior to the service, beginning at 12:00 p.m. A private family burial will follow at Waco Memorial Park.

Bob Pettigrew was born May 25, 1937, in Waco to C. E. (Red) and Thella Frields Pettigrew. He attended Waco schools and graduated from Waco High School in May 1955. He excelled in sports, particularly baseball and football. He earned the highest batting award in Waco's 16-year-old baseball league, with a batting average of .458. Bob played both baseball and football at Waco High School and later attended Trinity University in San Antonio on a football scholarship, playing for one year. That summer, he worked out with the Waco Pirates minor league team. Dub King signed him to play for the Pittsburgh Pirates organization, and he went to Florida for training, followed by minor league play in Iowa. After a year, he returned to Waco and enrolled at Baylor University, earning a B.B.A. degree in 1962.

On January 30, 1959, he married Beverly Guderian Pettigrew. They had two children: Stacy Ann Pettigrew DeBerry and Robert James Pettigrew, Jr. After graduating from Baylor, Bob began his career at Floyd West and Company, where he worked for five years. He then joined Texas Farm Bureau Insurance Companies, working as an insurance underwriter until his retirement in 1999. A lifelong fan of Baylor sports, he spent many of his retirement years volunteering and working with Baylor Athletics.

Bob was a faithful follower of Christ and was baptized at Spring Street Baptist Church in Waco. After his marriage, he joined Beverly’s church, Cottonwood Baptist Church of Lorena. A few years later, they became active members of Grace Temple Baptist Church for about eight years. The family then moved to Abilene, where they spent 15 wonderful years raising their children and serving as active members of First Baptist Church Abilene. In 1982, they returned to Waco and joined Columbus Avenue Baptist Church, where they remained active members until their later years.

Bob is survived by his wife of 66 years, Beverly Guderian Pettigrew; daughter Stacy Pettigrew DeBerry and her husband, Cliff; son Robert J. Pettigrew, Jr. and his wife, Angela; and grandchildren Phillip Dustin DeBerry and his wife, Kathryn; William Taylor DeBerry and his wife, Brittnie; Katherine Ann Pettigrew; and Caroline Elizabeth Pettigrew. He is also survived by six great-grandchildren: Bohden, Draper, Maeve, Winnie, Doak, and Roane DeBerry. Additional survivors include his brother, Tom Pettigrew, and his wife, Peggy; their children Greg Pettigrew, Trent Pettigrew, and Shelly Chaney; and special family friends Gina Elliott Kim and her husband, Chu, along with their daughters Addison Moore, Meredith Kim, and Mackenzie Davis.

Memorials may be made to Cottonwood Baptist Church, 886 FM 2643, Lorena, Texas 76655, or Columbus Avenue Baptist Church, 1300 Columbus Avenue, Waco, Texas 76701.

We invite you to leave a message or memory of Bob in his “Memorial Guestbook” online at www.WHBfamily.com.