Ronald E. Wiggins, age 84, of Houghton Lake, beloved father and husband, passed away on December 1, 2023.
Ron was born in Butterfield Township on February 1, 1939, to Ruth (Bowman) and Max Wiggins. He graduated from Merritt Consolidated School in 1956, where he was known for his prowess on the basketball court and his unfailing sense of humor. He married his high school sweetheart, Bonnie K. Norman, in 1957. She preceded him in death in 1980. He was then married to Helen for 41 years until the time of his passing.
Throughout his life, Ron modeled hard work and dedication to his family, co-operating a family sand and gravel business and serving more than 20 years on the Merritt and Houghton Lake school boards.
Ron kept us all laughing throughout the years, and his legacy lives on in the stories he told and the contagious “Wiggins laugh” he passed on to his children. He was a generous, kind, resilient, and genuine man with a magnetic personality and a talent for captivating an audience, and he will be sorely missed by all who knew and loved him.
Ron is survived by his wife, Helen Wiggins; children, Gloria Drogt (Eric), Max Wiggins (Lisa), Ron Wiggins (Teresa), Katie Wiggins-Gawlik (Stan), and Scott Powell (Laura); grandchildren Amber Sergeant, Arica Toppen, Megan Van Oosten, Mariah Moore, Tyler Wiggins, Derek Wiggins, Elita Wiggins, Mateo Powell, Elisabeth Powell, Adeline Powell, Benjamin Powell, and Alaina Powell; ten great-grandchildren; and his brother, Keith Wiggins (Kathleen).
A Celebration-of-Life gathering will be planned in the coming months. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the American Diabetes Association, dedicated in the name of Ronald E. Wiggins.
Burial will take place in the Lake City Cemetery.
The family is being served by the Young-Holdship Funeral Home in Lake City. Words of comfort and memories may be shared on www.holdshipfuneralhomes.com.
