Donald F. Wiggins

Donald Fowler Wiggins passed away peacefully on March 20, 2026 at the age of 92. He was born in Ela, NC, on April 22, 1933, the second of four children, in the house of his maternal grandparents, to Andrew Jesse and Lucy Fowler Wiggins. He lived until age 8 in Valley Head, WV, where his father took a logging job, and then the family relocated to the Port Norfolk area of Portsmouth, VA, where his father worked at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard in the bustling buildup to World War II and beyond.

After graduating from Woodrow Wilson High School in Portsmouth in 1950, he served 3.5 years in the Air Force during the Korean War as a Technical Sergeant dental technician, primarily at Eielson AFB in Fairbanks, Alaska, followed by Bolling AFB in Washington, DC. After his honorable discharge in 1953, he returned to the Portsmouth area and attended The College of William and Mary's Norfolk campus at what is now Old Dominion University. Soon thereafter he met the love of his life, Rosalyn (Rose) Terry, whom he happily married in 1955 for over 70 years.

Within 4 years, Donald and Rose had their three children in Portsmouth, where Donald worked at The Associates finance company. Almost all of their extended families lived on the Portsmouth, Norfolk and Virginia Beach side of the Hampton Roads region, and after living in Virginia Beach for a few years, in 1964 Donald and Rose made the "big leap" to cross the James River to live on the Peninsula, primarily living in Newport News. Despite the 25-mile drive, frequent attendance at family events on both sides of the water continued for many years.

In 1966-67, the family lived in Campbell, CA, in what is now the Silicon Valley. There Donald worked for Lockheed International serving as an early programmer using cutting edge technology on the space program. Although California was just too far from the family to make it their permanent home, Donald and Rose met several lifelong friends there and traveled to the West Coast for many visits. They then returned to Newport News, where Donald continued space program work as a programmer for Hayes International at Langley AFB. His government career as a computer specialist, including a Top Secret clearance, extended until 1997 working for the Army, Navy and Air Force, after moving to Colonial Heights, VA and then Springfield, VA.

With Rose's brother Bobby as the general contractor, they built a beautiful home for retirement in Williamsburg, VA in 1997 large enough for all the family and friends to visit. The home saw many years of wonderful hospitality, including holidays, a house concert, Gourmet Group dinners, their granddaughter's college graduation, card games and milestone birthday parties. In 2005, they took the whole family on a memorable 50th anniversary Caribbean cruise. Donald and Rose loved to travel and were no strangers to the cruising community, having been on 66 cruises all over the world. Donald began to play golf after retirement, ended up being pretty good, and enjoyed many years playing with his friends.

Up until his nineties, he was known for his remarkable health, an enviable hour of early morning exercises, and a full head of dark hair. He was a man of few words, whip-smart and well respected. He was well read, great at crossword puzzles, and had a wry sense of humor. Despite what sometimes came across as curmudgeonly behavior, he adored his wife and family, and delighted in the company of his dear friends.

He is survived by his wife Rose, children Rex Wiggins of Cary, NC, Kent Wiggins (Rita) of Arlington, VA, and Sherry Wiggins Sherman (Rick) of Orange, VA, a younger sister Marguerite Wiggins Price of Salt Lake City, UT, grandchildren Taylor Sherman of Rockville, MD, Amy Rose Sherman St. John (Jeremy) of Simpsonville, SC, Melanie Rose Wiggins of New York, NY, great-grandchildren Ian, Molly and Gavin St. John, and many nieces and nephews.

A celebration of his long full life will take place at 2 pm on Saturday, April 18, 2026 at Bucktrout Funeral Home, 4124 Ironbound Road, Williamsburg, VA.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to WHRO (or your local PBS station) or planting a tree via the Arbor Day Foundation in memory of Donald.