Dennis Michael Wigent

1945 - 2024

Dennis Michael Wigent
December 13, 1945 - September 20, 2024
Dennis Wigent, loving husband, father, and grandfather, died at his home in Petaluma, CA on September 20, 2024. He passed in the loving embrace of his wife of 24 years, Diane Dragone, after a two-month battle with medical complications, including stroke. He was 78.
Dennis, born in Detroit, MI, was the only son of Arthur and Grace Wigent, who preceded him in death. He is survived by his wife Diane, son, Michael, daughter-in-law, Amanda and grandchildren, Maddie, Danny and Evie. His first marriage of 33 years to Sandra Wigent (formerly Jarrett) ended when she passed away from cancer in 2002.
A Theater Design and Education major in college, Dennis worked as an educator in Detroit public schools where he taught theater design and worked on many school productions. Following that, he went into Communications and PR and was Director of Communications for the K-Mart Company in Troy, MI.
Dennis met Diane in New York; they began their life there together before moving to the west coast where he worked in Communications for Cisco and then, for PG&E. After moving to Sonoma County, Dennis worked in the Wine Industry for such wineries as Benzinger and Coppola. He retired in 2021.
In Petaluma, Dennis was very active with the Historical Library and Museum as a member of the Petalumans of Yesteryear. He loved giving historic walking tours on Saturday mornings in costume. Dennis contributed to the group with his calm demeanor, humor, strong work ethic, and joy in bringing history to life.
Dennis loved nature, he enjoyed working in the garden and feeding the birds. He was an avid reader and a diehard fan of sports, rarely missing the games of his favorite teams: the 49ers, the University of Michigan, the Giants, and the Warriors. He had a clever sense of humor and was quick to inject that into conversations. Easy going and extremely likable, everyone has a kind word to say about Dennis.
In addition, he was involved with Cinnabar Theater, where his wife, Diane, is the Executive Director. Dennis was the ultimate supporter of Cinnabar Theater and worked doing any and everything that was needed. He was extremely enthusiastic about the theater's growth, the move, and building the new theater in the Petaluma Outlet Mall. He served on the 'Raise the Curtain' Committee to navigate the project and the Fundraising Campaign.
In his memory, consider making a lasting contribution to the Dennis Wigent Memorial Fund, as part of the Capital Campaign for Cinnabar Theater. https://bit.ly/DennisWigent.
A Celebration of Life for Dennis is being planned for a future date.