Charles Herman Wiggins

Charles Herman Wiggins, 93, of New Haven and Fort Wayne, went home to be with the Lord November 17, 2025, Charles was born on June 1, 1932 in Coalfield (Morgan County), Tennessee to Charles Edward "Edd" Wiggins and Lona Viola (Kendrick) Wiggins. At the age of 16 he moved with his family to Dover (Stewart County), Tennessee. As a young man he went by "Herman", and Herman he always was to his birth family. With the outbreak of hostilities in the Korean peninsula not long after his 18th birthday, Charles went to Clarksville, TN to join the United States Air Force. In the Air Force he would become known as Chuck. After honorable service in Korea, and later at Edwards Air Force Base, California, Chuck returned home briefly to Tennessee. He endured a long, hot car ride from California to Tennessee without the modern conveniences of air conditioning or radio. With few job prospects in rural Tennessee, Chuck accepted an offer from an Air force buddy to move to the Niagara Falls area where he had arranged a job for him. Soon, a promotion would take Chuck to a city he'd never heard of in a state he'd never set foot in, but Fort Wayne, Indiana would be home for him for the rest of his life. Chuck left the job for which he'd come to Fort Wayne not long after arriving in town, but not before one of his coworkers invited him to church at Southside Church of Christ. There at the church Chuck met his future wife, Sharon. They began studying the Bible together, and she helped him develop a commitment to faith that lasted the rest of his life. Chuck worked for a time scrubbing out milk tanks. This was an especially unpleasant job for a man with already an existing aversion to milk! While he worked he also pursued higher education, first at Indiana Tech, then at International Business College, where he earned a degree in accounting. Chuck worked for many years as an accountant at Central Soya, and later at its successor ADM, retiring in 1994 from what remained of the former Central Soya corporate offices in Fort Wayne. Chuck worked hard for 40 years for his family, moonlighting from his day job with Central Soya to help with the books of small companies in the evenings, all the while managing all the many challenges of owning rental properties. Caring for these properties consumed much of the rest of his nights and weekends, and faithfully taking his family to church three times a week filled the rest of his time. Following years of hard work, God blessed Chuck with 30 years of mostly good health to enjoy his retirement. During his retirement Chuck continued on with things he had done while still working, including leadership positions in his church (Southside Church of Christ, then Reed Road Church of Christ, and finally East Allen Church of Christ). He also took on new challenges, like helping out his neighborhood association, going on mission trips with his church, and doing more of the things he'd enjoyed before, like traveling with his family. Chuck was a compassionate man with a special tenderness for animals, with special places in his heart for his boyhood dog Jack, and for Samson and Buddy, a Rottweiler and Scottie who were successively his dog companions for years in retirement. He is still remembered for taking Buddy for walks heavily bundled in 20 degree weather well into his 80s, when Chuck would have much rather have stayed inside where it was cozy and warm. Chuck was also a creature of habit, watching the local WANE TV newscast at 6 and then Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy beginning at 7. Generally, he approved of Pat Sajak's successor, Ryan Seacrest, but thought he should wear a tie more often.

Never having much time in his younger days for spectator sports, in later years he developed a fondness for Indiana basketball, especially in the Coach Knight days. He also enjoyed Colts football and found himself enjoying the unprecedented success of IU football during its last few seasons. Chuck was generally quiet and reserved. He was a man of intelligence, loyalty, perseverance, and faith, and he will be deeply missed by his family. Charles is survived by his seven children, Charles Brent (Alma) Wiggins, Karen (Larry) Miller, Tina (Jeff) McCormack, Pam (Scott) Barron, Dawn (Tom) Mathias, Barry Wiggins and Doug Wiggins. He was proud grandfather to 15 grandchildren and 10-great-grandchildren. He is survived by his sister Linda Peterson, and many nephews and nieces. Charles was preceded in death by his wife, Sharon Anne (Tracey), in 2014. He lost his mother Lona, in 1968, and his father "Edd" in 1974. His sisters, Carolyn Shepherd, Patsy Wilson, and Imogene Miller preceded him, as did his brothers Fred, Harold, and Thomas "JC". Memorial Services will be held on Saturday, November 22, 2025 at 10:00 am at East Allen Church of Christ, 3800 Minnich Road, New Haven, IN 46774 with visitation following the service. Preferred memorials, in memory of Charles, may be made to Camp Indogan or East Allen County Church of Christ. Please visit www.klaehnfahlmeltonfunerals.com to leave condolences.