Richard G. Dick Wiggers, died on January 12, 2008 at Baptist Memorial Hospital Golden Triangle. He was born on August 8, 1923 in rural Sunflower County on a family farm. He was graduated from grade school at Linn School, Linn Mississippi. He was accepted into the Columbia Military Academy Preparatory School, Columbia, Tennessee and was graduated as Treasurer of his class in 1941. While at CMA he played on the varsity baseball, football, basketball and track teams. Upon graduating, he was awarded a full football scholarship to Mississippi State University where he played the quarterback position for the freshman team. In December 1941, he enlisted in the U. S. Army where he received the rank of First Lieutenant in the infantry and was called to service in North Africa and Europe. He served in Casablanca, Oman and in Italy. He was with Gen. Clarks 5th Army in Italy and was wounded in the Battle of Monte Casino. He was introduced to the love of his life, Mary Kathryn Kat Kerr of Louisville, by their good friend Sonny Montgomery at a function on the Hotel Heidelberg Roof in Jackson. They married in April 1947 and recently celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary. He was working with a local insurance agency in Indianola when he was recalled into the Officers Reserve for the Korean War. Many of his army veterans remained his friends during his life. In 1954 he moved his family to Jackson to work at the R. S. Greer General Insurance Agency, where he traveled northeast Mississippi and represented various insurance companies. While in Jackson, he was very active in attending football and baseball events around the southeast and was an accomplished golfer and was an excellent hunter. In 1967, he founded the Wiggers Insurance Agency in Columbus. He was currently employed by the successor agency, Galloway-Chandler-McKinney Insurance Agency as semi-retired, spanning an insurance career of sixty years. In 2002, his business partner, Jimmy Galloway, established the Richard G. Wiggers Endowed Risk Management Scholarship at Mississippi State University in his honor. In 2003, he was inducted into the Mississippi State Insurance Hall of Fame. He was well known in Columbus for his early morning visits to the Farmers Market. He enjoyed bringing various produce and other pleasant surprises to his various friends. He also belonged to the Holiday Inn Breakfast Club and worked as a fund raiser for the Palmer Home. He was a Thirty Second Degree Mason. Memorials may be made to the R. G. Wiggers Endowed Scholarship Fund at Mississippi State University, Post Office Box 6149, Mississippi State, Mississippi 39762 or to the Palmer Home, Post Office Box 746, Columbus, Mississippi 39703. The family would like to thank the following health care providers who took such personal care of his needs, Dr. Brad Brown, Dr. Howland, Dr. Whitecar, Dr. Boggess, Dr. Bennett and Pharmacist Robert White, along with their many thoughtful staff members. He is survived by his wife, Kathryn Kat Wiggers, and daughters Ann DeWeese (AB) of Philadelphia and Dane Dean of Snellville, Georgia and son, Gray Wiggers (Bonnie) of Jackson,. Grandchildren Ab DeWeese, Sam DeWeese, Woody DeWeese, Dane DeWeese, Austin Dean, Mary Kathryn Dean, Morgan Wiggers and Jane Gray Wiggers. Services will be held Monday January 14, in the Chapel at the Memorial Funeral Home in Columbus at 11:00 a.m. with Dr. Sam Morris officiating. Visitation begins at 9:00 a.m. until service time at the funeral home. Burial will follow at Friendship Cemetery in Columbus.
To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Richard G. "Dick" Wiggers, please visit our flower store.
