- Date Of Birth: August 31, 1925
- Date Of Death: March 4, 2011
- State: Texas
Yvonne Kathryn Campbell Dunn Wiggins passed peacefully into the arms of Jesus on March 4, 2011. She was born August 31st, 1925, to Orvey Paul Campbell and Helen Cayce Campbell in Cleburne, Texas.
After her father passed away in 1938, her mother moved the family to San Antonio where Yvonne graduated from Brackenridge High School. As a teenager, she was named San Antonio’s Queen of Magnolias”, and was featured on a beautiful float in the “Battle of Flowers” Fiesta Parade. She married Franklin Jerome Dunn, Sr., on September 26, 1944 in San Antonio. Frank Dunn, was already established as a Church of Christ minister, and Yvonne set out to be the perfect preacher’s wife. They worked with Churches in Corsicana, Dallas, San Antonio, Lubbock and Austin during their 53 year marriage.
She taught ladies classes, children’s Bible classes, and coordinated many of the social activities for the various Churches. She was the consummate hostess and felt every meal should be served with flowers and candles. When Frank Dunn passed away in 1997, she married Edsel Wiggins, a widower and long time family friend, in 2001. This was quite an adventure for her, as she joined Edsel in Wichita, Kansas. A life-long lover of nature, Yvonne was thrilled by the flocks of geese that landed in their yard. They traveled extensively across the United States and Canada, and at the time of his death in December, 2003, Edsel was the Honorary Commandant of McConnell Air Force Base in Wichita, Kansas. Yvonne and Edsel thoroughly enjoyed their involvement at McConnell AFB and their many friends at Wichita’s Northside Church of Christ.
Yvonne had many honors bestowed upon her over the years. In 1994, she was named a Paul Harris Fellow of Rotary International. Due to their work with Churches in Kentucky, she and Frank were named Honorary Kentucky Colonels. In the early 1960’s she was the Charter PTA president of Haynes Elementary School in Lubbock, and over the years served her childrens’ schools in every possible capacity.
She enjoyed acclaim as a Texas Hill Country landscape artist. Her paintings of fields of bluebonnets and Texas fall foliage are highly prized by collectors and galleries around the world. Early on she participated in the Starving Artist shows along San Antonio’s winding River Walk. From there, she was invited to join San Antonio’s prestigious River Art Group, which has now recongnized her as a “Life Member.” Her paintings hang in collections from the Texas A & M School of Horticulture to the private collection of the late Roy Rogers and Dale Evans.
As mentioned, she was preceded in death by husbands Franklin Jerome Dunn, Sr., Durward Edsel Wiggins, her parents and a brother Donald Clayton Campbell. She is survived by her four children: Dr. Franklin Jerome (Jerry) Dunn, Jr., and wife Connie of Las Colinas; Rodney Paul Dunn of Temple; Christopher Waters Dunn and wife Nissa of San Antonio; and Holly Suzette Dunn of Salado; a brother, Eugene Marshall Campbell and wife Loyce of Waxahachie and a sister-in-law, Joyce Campbell of Arlington, TX.
In addition, she is survived by eight grandchildren: Brent Jerome Dunn and wife Renee of Plano; Chelsa Dunn Russell and husband Ryan of Chicage, IL; Natalie Dunn Magnusson and husband Eric of Lake Orion, MI; Taylor Herron Frettoloso and husband Blake of Irving, Texas; Daniel Aldrich Dunn and wife Alicia of Temple; Kathryn Yvonne Dunn Kummerfeld and husband David of Temple; Cayce Jennifer Dunn LeGaspi and husband Robert, of Nashville, TN; and Jonathan Paul Dunn and wife Renee of Nashville, TN.
She is also survived by five great-grandchildren; Avery Grace Dunn, Jackson Jerome Dunn, Melaina Joelle Magnusson, Zoe Elizabeth Magnusson, and Lilly Kathryn Kummerfeld. She is further survived by a multitude of friends and family whom she cherished and held so dear to her heart. Yvonne will long be remembered for her kind spirit, her constant words of encouragement, and for a quiet elegance that seemed to come so naturally. She saw the world with an artist’s eye, noting the smallest details, shadows and colors. Her love for color prompted her to request those who might attend her funeral would be encouraged to wear their favorite colors and/or colors which represent their beloved Texas wildflowers.
