Louis Leo Wiggin

Louis Leo Wiggin, age 85, of St. Paul, MN passed away peacefully in his home surrounded by his wife and children on November 30, 2025. He suffered from dementia and was well cared for by his loving wife, Joan Wiggin, over the last several years.

Louis was born on August 8, 1940 in St. Paul, MN to Clyde and Mary Wiggin. He was number 10 of 12 siblings. He attended St. James grade school and graduated from Cretin High School in 1958. He was also very good at drawing sketches and studied at an Art Academy on Summit Ave for a short time. He joined the Army after high school and talked often of his travels while stationed in Germany. Not long after his return back to the states, he met the love of his life, Joan Ford, in November 1963. They were married a short time later on June 6, 1964 and were married for 61 years. Louis worked for the Great Northern Railroad which became the Burlington Northern Railroad for 32 years. He worked his way up the ladder starting as a clerk and retired as a Tax Account Manager. They needed to hire three people to replace him when he retired.

Lou enjoyed bowling, golfing and fishing. He was on the 1970s television show Bowlerama and was a lifetime member of the 700 Club. He enjoyed and remained close to his high school graduating class and often golfed with his Cretin buddies. He also loved completing puzzles and playing games with family. Hardly a day passed where Lou had not completed a crossword or sudoku puzzle or both! Many games of darts, cribbage, board games, Boggle and Spinners were enjoyed with family. There were many Sunday mornings Lou cooked breakfast for his family after church and then a good game of Spinners was enjoyed afterwards. He was also very good at fixing things around the house. He built his garage and added an addition onto their home. He was very active and involved with many activities at St. James and St. Francis churches such as the Men’s Club, the Booya Festival, St. Vincent de Paul and Sandcastle. He was a lector, usher and even helped refinish the gym floor at St. James grade school. He also helped coach his son’s baseball team and was their Boy Scout leader. He was a very busy man and spent many, many hours volunteering before and after his retirement. Since he was one of twelve siblings, many large family gatherings were enjoyed where lasting memories were made. Many of these gatherings happened in the garage he built!

Louis was a good man. He was a devoted husband and father and took very good care of his family. He cared about helping people and gave his time often. He was deeply loved and will be missed by many.

He is survived by his loving wife of 61 years, Joan (nee Ford) Wiggin; children, Keith, Joseph and Stephanie (Lance Peterson); grandchildren Elizabeth (Benjamin) Appenzeller and Alexander Wiggin; great grandchildren Louis, Iris and Maximus Appenzeller; Sisters, Dory, Tess and Monica; Brother Gerald; many Nieces and Nephews and Great Nieces and Nephews

Preceded in death by parents Clyde and Mary (nee McMahon) Wiggin; Sisters, Pat, Mary Ellen, Veronica and Judy; Brothers, Dick, John and Dennis; Daughter-In-Law Kyong Ok (Kim) Wiggin.

There will be a memorial service at St. Francis de Sales Catholic Church (650 Palace Ave, St. Paul, MN 55102) on Tuesday December 16, 2025 at 11 AM with a visitation 1 hour prior. A graveside service will follow at Fort Snelling National Cemetery (7601 34th Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55450) starting at 1 PM. In lieu of flowers, donations can be sent to the charity of your choice.