Arthur E. Wiggins age 85 of Westbrook died Easter Sunday, April 24, 2011 at the Sanford Westbrook Hospital in Westbrook, MN. 

Funeral services will be at 10:30 a.m. Saturday April 30 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Westbrook.  Visitation will be 4:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. Friday at the Westbrook Funeral Home with a prayer service at 7:00 p.m. 

Visitation will continue at the church one hour prior to the service on Saturday.  Interment with military honors will be in the Westbrook Cemetery.  Stephens Funeral Service – Westbrook Funeral Home is assisting the family with arrangements. 

 

 Arthur Eugene Wiggins was born September 22, 1925 in Holly Township, Murray County to Luman and Ida (Howe) Wiggins.  He was baptized in the Congregational Church in Walnut Grove and confirmed in the Methodist Church at Balaton in 1937.  After graduating from Walnut Grove High School in 1943, he and Dennis Good (a classmate) went to enlist in the Merchant Marines.  Art did not pass his physical, as at 109 pounds, he was fifteen pounds underweight.  On December 31, 1943, he was inducted into the ARMY and served honorably until his discharge on May 4, 1946.  The last eleven months he served in the Philippines.  He received the Good Conduct Medal, American Theater Service Medal, and the Philippine Liberation Service Medal with one Bronze Star.  In February 1947, he enrolled at Gustavus Adolphus College under the GI Bill of Rights, and graduated June 1950, with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration and Economics.  June 17, 1951, Art was united in marriage to Janice Johnson, his high-school sweetheart, at Trinity Lutheran Church in Westbrook.  He farmed the Johnson family farm in Ann Township for 39 years.  They resided at the farm until March 2001, when they purchased their home in Westbrook.  He was a member of Trinity Lutheran Church since 1951, serving as an usher and two terms on church council.  He was a member of American Legion Post 267, Walnut Grove, for over 55 years.  Since 2005 he was also a lifetime member of VFW Post 5098, Westbrook, and a lifetime member of the Disabled American Veterans (DAV) Sioux Falls Chapter.  He enjoyed farming, feeding cattle, going to cattle auctions, ballroom dancing, and playing cards.  Art loved his family with all his heart, and always looked forward to Thanksgiving weekend when all family members would meet at Mary and Tim’s in St. Paul.

 

Survivors include his wife Janice, Westbrook; children Julie (Mark) Nadeau, San Antonio, TX, Mary (Tim) McKasy, St. Paul, John (Mara) Wiggins, Walnut Grove; grandchildren Jessica (Mircea) Tipescu, Chicago, IL, Brendan and Justin Nadeau; Elizabeth and Abigail Wiggins; great-grandchildren Grace and Adrian Tipescu.  Preceding him in death were his parents, brothers and sisters-in-law Wilson and Agnes, Gerald and Clarice, sister Eldean Wiggins, and granddaughter Katherine Emma Wiggins.  Blessed be his memory.