Memorials › Woodrow Wiggins
Woodrow Wiggins
16 Jan 1918 – 21 Mar 2004
| Birth | 16 Jan 1918 |
| Death | 21 Mar 2004 |
| Cemetery | Holly Tree Cemetery Holly Lake Ranch , Wood County , Texas , USA |
| Added by | 𝕋𝕠𝕞𝕞𝕪 ℕ𝕖𝕒𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕣𝕪 on 01 Sep 2019 |
| FaG | https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/167297634 |
Bio
Died at age 86. Woodrow was a widower. Parents: Johnnie Lewellen 'Al' Wiggins. Caddie McElroy. Johnnie and Caddie married January 18, 1914 in Johnson, Texas. Married Mary Frances Menges. Woodrow Wiggins found his place in history as the uniformed Dallas police officer with the white hat behind Lee Harvey Oswald when he was shot and killed Nov. 24, 1963. Mr. Wiggins, 86, died Monday of congestive heart failure at a Tyler hospice. Visitation will be from 6 to 8 p.m. today at Beaty Funeral Home in Hawkins, Texas. Services will be at 2 p.m. Friday at Holly Lake Church of Christ. He will be buried in Holly Tree Cemetery, in Holly Lake, Texas. In 1963, Mr. Wiggins was a police lieutenant in charge of the city jail and the Dallas Police Department's substations. On Nov. 24, he was filling in for his jail lieutenant, who had the day off. To help secure Oswald, Mr. Wiggins added an officer to watch the suspected presidential assassin's jail cell and had replaced the trustee on the elevator with an officer. That Sunday morning, Mr. Wiggins met the elevator bringing Oswald and police officials to the transfer point in the Dallas Municipal Building. Mr. Wiggins testified he was about six or seven feet behind Oswald when the suspect was shot. At first Mr. Wiggins found it difficult to talk about his experience, said his sister, Wilna Wiggins Boone of Maypearl. "In later years he could reflect on it," she said. "He realized he was a part of history." Mr. Wiggins was born in Johnson County near Cleburne and raised in Ellis County near Maypearl, where he graduated from high school. He was an Army military police officer during World War II and joined the Dallas Police Department in 1946. He was a patrolman and detective before being promoted to lieutenant in October 1956. "He was really a devoted policeman. He loved it; he loved the job," said his son-in-law of Winona. Mr. Wiggins retired in May 1973 after 27 years with the department. Mr. Wiggins was an avid golfer who mixed his pastime with his profession as head of security for the Byron Nelson tournament for several years, said his brother, Ronnie Wiggins of Midlothian. Mr. Wiggins also shot five holes in one during his golfing lifetime, his brother said. In 1975, Mr. Wiggins moved to a home on an East Texas golf course in Holly Lake, where he also served as president of the Fire Department. Three years ago, he moved to Winona, Texas. In addition to his brother and sister, Mr. Wiggins is survived by a son of Winnsboro, Texas; two daughters, another sister, Margie of Acworth, Ga.; seven grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren. Memorials may be made to Camp Deer Run, 1227 County Road 4590, Winnsboro, Texas 75494.
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Siblings
- PFC Sidney Allen Wiggins 1915–1944
- Doris Helen Wiggins Hargrove 1929–1959
- Wilna Sue Wiggins Boone 1933–2015
- Ronald Dean "Ronnie" Wiggins 1943–2016
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