O.D. Thigpen was born September 19, 1931, in Shreveport, LA, the son of Onie Hervey Thigpen and Trannie Sykes Thigpen. He was married to Betty Louise Thigpen for 56 years. They spent the early years of their marriage in Shreveport, LA, and moved to the Houston area 39 years ago.

He graduated in 1949 from Fair Park High School in Shreveport, LA, and from Baylor University in 1953 with a degree in accounting.

Thigpen entered the U.S. Air Force in 1953 serving two years on active duty in Japan. He was honorably discharged as a Captain in 1971.

He joined Texas Eastern Corporation in 1955 as a junior auditor and held increasing levels of responsivity throughout his career retiring in 1989 as Vice President and Comptroller of Texas Eastern Gas Pipeline Company.

He was a member of Queensborough Baptist Church in Shreveport, LA, where at the age of 15 he met his wife, Betty, in Sunday school class. Later, he attended Ford Park Baptist Church where he served as church treasurer, an usher, and taught Sunday school to 6th grade boys. After moving to Houston, he joined Champion Forest Baptist Church where he served as an usher, taught a men's Sunday school class, and was active in the prayer ministry.

Throughout his life, Thigpen was very active in Boy Scouts attaining the rank of Life Scout and was a member of the Order of the Arrow. As an adult, he served as an Assistant Scout Master in Shreveport, LA.

He was an active volunteer with Gospel Lakes Ministries in New Waverly, TX, participating in a construction project at their Ranch.

He loved trains of all sorts, especially passenger trains. From an early age, he would travel to various train stations in the Shreveport area and sit for hours watching trains go by (especially his beloved Kansas City Southern). He was an avid model railroader, but he was also a huge fan of the real thing. After he retired, he traveled aboard numerous excursion trains to almost every state, across Canada and northern Mexico.

In his later years, he was a resident of The Village at Gleannloch Farms in Spring, TX where he formed many close relationships with the residents and staff.

Surviving members of the family are his son, David Bartlett and his wife, Kathy, of Shreveport, LA; his daughter, Sharon Callahan and her husband, John, of Montgomery, TX; and many loving grandchildren, great-grandchildren, nieces, and nephews.

A funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. on Friday, December 9, at Champion Forest Baptist Church, 15555 Stuebner-Airline Road, Houston, TX 77069.

Interment will take place with a graveside service at 11 a.m. Saturday, December 10, at Forest Park Cemetery, 3700 St. Vincent Avenue, Shreveport, LA 71103, where many of his family members are buried.