Doraine Jane Wigg (94) from Grinnell, originally from Harlan, passed away at St. Francis Manor in Grinnell on August 19,2024. Funeral services will be at Pauley Jones Funeral Home in Harlan on Tuesday, September 3 at 10:30 am. Burial will be at Harlan Cemetery. A luncheon for friends and family will follow at the C.G. Therkildsen Community Center in Harlan.
Doraine Jane Wigg, 94, passed away on August 19, 2024, in Grinnell, IA.
Doraine was born on December 3, 1929, to Louie John and Alma (Gruhn) Thomsen near Manning, IA. She graduated from Elk Horn High School in 1947 and attended radio electronic school in Omaha, NE. She was employed by R.C. Booth Enterprises in Harlan, IA. On January 5, 1950, she was united in marriage to Barthel (Bud) John Wigg, at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Harlan, IA, where they made their home. Bud kept a smile on her face throughout their 50+ years of marriage, until his death in 2004. In 2006, Doraine moved to Gilman, IA, where she lived until she entered St. Francis Manor in Grinnell, IA in 2022.
Doraine and Bud had four beloved children – Diana, Bruce, Curtis, and Darla. Doraine was a stay-at-home mom for several years and then returned to work at Olsen’s Grocers in Harlan, and the Harlan Bakery until its closure in 1991. When not taking care of her children or keeping to a rigid schedule of housekeeping chores, Doraine loved her decades- long Sunday night Pinochle card games with the neighbors, going out to eat on Friday nights with friends, watching her soap operas and The Lawrence Welk Show, listening to polka music, and doing the daily Jumble puzzle and word searches. She treasured her vacations to Lake Okoboji and getting her ultimate treat, a Nutty Bar. Doraine was famous for several family favorite dishes – including “pepperners,” seven layer Jello “salad,” “milk soup with dumplings,” and the ever controversial and divisive pizza burgers. In later life she surprised us all by taking up watching NASCAR racing and rooting for her favorite driver, Kyle Larson. She adored her family and would light up when surrounded by them. Games were always a favorite pastime: she ruthlessly dominated her family in card games and her great grandchildren in games of tic-tac-toe.
“Grams” will be most remembered as a gentle, loving and nurturing wife, mother, and grandmother. She would soothe each one of her four babies, 12 grandbabies and 19 great grandbabies with her signature “shh, shh, shh, a bye a bye, bye a bye.” We know that she is repeating that to all of us at this sad time, our very own angel.
Doraine was preceded in death by her husband, Bud, her daughter, Diana Mumm, her son, Curtis Wigg, and her brother, Raymond Thomsen. She is survived by two children: Bruce (Karen) Wigg of La Porte City, IA and Darla Kurth of Council Bluffs, IA; son-in-law Bob Mumm of Gilman, IA, and daughter-in-law, Mary Jo Wigg of St. Charles, MO;
12 grandchildren: Jennifer (Luke Sullivan) Mumm, Greg (April) Mumm, Amber (Travis) Mumford, Aaron (Danielle) Wigg, Brian (Liz Matis) Wigg, Catherine (Cody) Westfall, Dana (Nikolas Kemp) Wigg, Daniel (Dana) Wigg, Bart (Rebecca) Wigg, Courtney (Josh) Pedersen, Jordan Kurth, Zachary (Courtney) Kurth; and 19 great grandchildren. She is also survived by her sister, Marvel Jacobsen of Elk Horn, IA and her brother, Roger Thomsen of Harlan, IA.
