Ol’ Man Wigle will be remembered

St. Charles Parish has had residents who were memorable in many ways and one of them just passed away at the healthy old age of 103. We’re sure most people will remember the name attached to this very interesting individual.

He was Norman Wigle, known as Ol’ Man Wigle, and, following his death, he will be remembered for his love of life. He was a remarkable individual and made a friend of everyone.He was born in St. Joseph Missouri on Aug. 17, 1911.

At the age of 16, he went into the Coast Guard and was honorably discharged three years later in 1930.

Norman worked at American Cyanamid in St. Charles Parish and retired at the relatively young age of 63. He then opened, owned and operated an art frame shop on River Road in Luling for 30 years. Located on a  highly frequented thoroughfare in St. Charles Parish, he had many chances to compare notes about the goings on in the parish with his neighbors.

He worked there until the ripe ol’ age of 93, drove until he was 95 and lived on his own until he was well over the age of 100. He was also a great cook and fed many people his special recipes.

And to make his life all the more interesting, he was a contributing writer to the St. Charles Herald Guide.

He received the highest honor as a Boy Scout leader – a beaver award. Ol’ Man Wigle had high spirits and he displayed them to the maximum. Even at his 100th birthday party, he demonstrated those high spirits by living it up with his neighbors.

And that was how he lived his life.

Emphasizing his spirituality, he and his wife were members of the Luling United Methodist Church for 65 years. And throughout their years here, they emphasized the spirituality that exists in St. Charles Parish.

But Ol’ Man Wigle was also on the fun side. He was a fanatic for sailing the high seas on cruises that gave him an opportunity to see how the rest of the world lives.

During his life, he took some 100 trips on cruise ships which perhaps set a record.

And, apparently, he loved every minute of it.

Which tells us that he was a man of the world that still loved his home base in St. Charles Parish. And we’re proud of it.

 

About Allen Lottinger 433 Articles
Publisher Emeritus

Be the first to comment

Leave a Reply