Clara Marie-Germaine (Marginet) Wiggett

Clara Marie-Germaine Wiggett (nee Marginet) 

September 4, 1939 to April 10, 2021

Clara Wiggett passed away April 10, 2021 at the age of 81 after a long battle with cancer. Clara  successfully fought cancer off and on for over 15 years, repeatedly putting it into remission with its tail between its legs. But this last year a flair up of both lymphoma and colon cancer proved too strong even  for the high-spirited Clara. 

Although small in stature at 4 foot 11 inches and a fighting weight of 120 pounds, Clara was a giant  presence in the world. Her quick thumping steps, feverish activity and constant chatter were the trademarks of her whirling personality. Always the consummate house cleaner, Clara kept a spotless  house. No speck of dust escaped the sharp and trained eye of Clara. Even on her death bed Clara noticed and commented on how dirty her hospital room floor was. If only she could clean the room! 

Clara also loved to host others for meals and events and the Wiggett household was often where friends and family gathered to eat, drink, and play cards. She was such an attentive host that she barely ever sat  herself down to eat. She was so efficient that, as the last fork of food was lifted from your plate, dessert  was already delivered. She was also competitive and loved to win at games; no card game was over until  she came out on top. 

Clara was direct and called things as she saw them. If she had an opinion or was mad at you, you heard about it right away. Although she had a short fuse, she was just as quick to forgive and had a kind and  caring heart. Although not known for her sense of humour, when she did find something funny her  laugh was loud and infectious. How so much sound came from such a small person is one of the mysteries of science. 

Clara loved to dance, and she adored old-time country songs. She was often the first on the dance floor  and the last to leave. Clara also played the organ and over her life had many hobbies from sewing, needlepoint, and scrapbooking to making her own clothes, gardening, and canning. Clara also loved to  write poems and won numerous awards for her poetry. 

Family history was important to Clara and she did extensive research and made detailed history books for both the Marginet and the Wiggett families. In her research, she discovered a startling secret about her large family that had her questioning her own identity. From that discovery Clara wrote and  published her own memoir entitled, Hush and Click. 

The youngest child of 7 siblings, Clara was forced to develop a tough exterior over her gentle heart.  Neither of her two sons ever saw her cry and her husband Reg only remembers her crying twice: once over her beloved china that was broken during a move and the second time when she was informed last year of cancer’s return. 

Clara’s toughness suited her well to run the household financially and domestically while her husband Reg was away for weeks on end working in the oil field. She managed everything from raising two spirited boys and running her own accounting business to fixing leaking sewer pipes under a mobile  home at -30 Celsius. She was one tough cookie with a ‘get ‘er done’ attitude.

Clara is survived by her husband, Reg Wiggett and her two sons Darwin and Warren Wiggett and her  daughters-in-law, Samantha Chrysanthou and Christine Wiggett. Clara leaves behind a suite of friends and relatives who loved her giant spirit and big presence. She will be missed.  

Clara requested that no funeral or memorial service be organized. She wanted to be cremated and her ashes divided and placed in two memorial benches for her sons. This way she could continue to be a presence for her sons as they sat in nature and remembered her. 

In lieu of flowers, Clara requested that donations be made to the Cross Cancer Institute in Edmonton where she received excellent care over the years.

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