Mary Lou (Soehl) Wiggins was born Dec. 12, 1927, in Woodland, Washington. She died April 2, 2025, in Vancouver, Washington. A lifelong resident of Clark County, she was born Mary Lou Freeman. Her father died before she was a year old. Her mother, Maggie, married Alfred “Butch” Soehl when Mary Lou was 4. She then spent her childhood in La Center and graduated from La Center High School. After attending Washington State University, she returned home and met Bill Wiggins, and they were married on Nov. 23, 1949. They spent their married life in Amboy and Battle Ground.
She had a tremendous singing voice and was encouraged to pursue opera, but she disliked classical music. However, she did participate in community theater in Battle Ground in the early ’50s. More than once, when she was assisting in a classroom or on a school bus, she could control a bunch of rowdy kids with just the tone of her voice. She had a lifelong passion for sports. In fact, she coached her son Gary’s Little League team and had a winning season. She was active in the American Legion and Scouts. She enjoyed family outings, especially camping. She was an avid lover of animals, wild or domestic. Her family enjoyed the presence of many pets, including field mice, flying squirrels, cats, dogs, rabbits, horses and an occasional pig — all of which, at one time or another, found their way into the house.
Her husband, Bill Wiggins, preceded her in death on Feb. 25, 2004. Her grandson, Sean Wiggins, also preceded her in death in September 2000. She is survived by her son, Gary Wiggins; daughters, Debra (Wiggins) Gloor and Nancy (Wiggins) Yee; and granddaughters, Kelsey (Yee) Close and Kerry Wiggins.
A memorial service will be held at Layne’s Funeral Home in Battle Ground, Washington, on Friday, April 11, at 1 p.m.
