Obituary of Mary Alice Wiggins

The death of Mary Alice Wiggins of Saint John, NB wife of the late Thomas Carpenter Wiggins Sr. occurred on Saturday, May 16, 2009 at her residence. Born in Saint John on March 28, 1933 she was a daughter of the late Joseph and Isabella (DeRoche) Chase. Alice was an active member of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, the Queen of Peace Prayer Group and St. Joachim’s Prayer Group. She was certified three times by the Christopher Leadership Program and an associate member of the Sisters of Charity. Alice volunteered at Romero house for a number of years and had great compassion for the underprivileged. She was an Eucharistic minister at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception and also delivered daily communion to city shut-ins and patients of the Saint John Regional Hospital. Alice was well-known for organizing religious pilgrimages to St. Anne de Beaupre and Cape de la Madeleine Shrines in Quebec yearly since 1987. This year would have marked her 20th anniversary, which will be carried on by her daughter. In her younger years, Alice loved to dance and was quite a sports enthusiast enjoying cross country and down-hill skiing, snow shoeing and skating at Lancaster Rink & Lily Lake to St. Mary’s Band. An avid daily walker and swimmer, Alice also was an active member of the YMCA for 29 years. Alice had a great love for life and was very active until her recent heart illness. She was a cancer survivor, beating the 1 in 3,000,000 odds for over 17 years with no reoccurrence. Survived by her two children, Katherine (Douglass) Bacon (Wiggins) of Rothesay, NB and Thomas (Shelley) Wiggins Jr. of Quispamsis; one sister, Beatrice Ramsay (Dennis Skidmore) of Millidgeville; two brothers, Edgar (Innis) Chase of Saint John and Walter (Phyllis) Chase of Ottawa, ON; one brother-in-law, Doug Wiggins of Rothesay; two sisters-in-law, Rita (Wiggins) Hale of Rothesay and Mary Lou (Wiggins) Northrup of Quispamsis; nephew David Ramsay (Ruth Ingersoll MD) as well as several other nieces and nephews. Predeceased by her brothers, Leonard and Ernest (Mildred) Chase. Arrangements are under the care and direction of Brenan’s Select Community Funeral Home, 111 Paradise Row, Saint John (506) 634-7424 with visiting on Tuesday from 2 … 4 pm and 7 - 9 pm. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated from the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, 91 Waterloo Street on Wednesday at 12:05. Interment in St. Joseph’s Cemetery. Remembrances may be made to the Canadian Cancer Society, Heart and Stroke Foundation or a charity of the donor’s choice. www.brenansfh.com