- Date Of Birth: September 7, 1946
- Date Of Death: October 2, 2020
- State: Idaho
Douglas Wiggins, 74, of Jerome, Idaho passed away October 2, 2020 at his home.
He was born to Dan Knowles and Loela May Wiggins in Marie, Arkansas. Doug was the oldest of 7 siblings. He moved to Kaisier, AR when he was 4 and lived there until he was 13. He then moved to Lapanto, AR via hitchhiking a ride from a cattle driver to go live with his granddad. Doug spent youth picking pecans and cotton.
When he was 16 years old, he lied about his age so he could enlist in the Army. After he had already served 1 ½ years in Vietnam, a draft letter was sent to his home, which then revealed his true age. He continued serving a few years longer before eventually being discharged.
As he recollected, he walked into a bowling Alley one day in 1985 and his breath was taken away as he set his sights on a beautiful young woman, Phyllis. In 1986, they were married in the backyard of her parent’s home in Gooding, Idaho. At this time, he acquired father status to her four children. They celebrated their 34th wedding anniversary, July 2, 2020.
In 1998, he and his wife, Phyllis, permanently moved to Jerome. In 2003 Doug became a full-time truck driver, enjoying the ability to travel the lower 48 states. In 2015, he was diagnosed with bladder and lung cancer which took him off the road and out of his truck indefinitely. He obtained remission status until 2019, when once again, he was diagnosed with lung cancer. After a quick run with radiation, he was once again in remission. This, however, took its toll on him and his health continued to decline. In September 2020, he lost the love of his life, Phyllis. It was his mission to hurry to be by her side once again.
Doug is preceded in death by his wife (Phyllis Wiggins), father (Dan), mother (Loela), 2 brothers and a sister, his youngest son (Jeff Bennett) and oldest daughter (Jennifer Bennett). He is survived by 3 siblings, two daughters and 6 grandchildren and 4 great-grandchildren.
