Homer W. Wigent

Throughout his rich and rewarding journey, Homer Wigent lived a life spent with the people and experiences he loved. He was hardworking and honorable with a fun-loving spirit that made him so much fun to be around. It was easy to see that Homer spent the best years of his life with his true love, and his devotion to his family was truly unmatched. He was a longtime resident of the community he loved, and there was no one who met him and wasnt blessed in some way. Although he will be deeply missed, Homer leaves behind a priceless collection of memories that his loved ones will forever hold near and dear to their hearts.

The early part of the 1940s were marked by the perils of WWII. It was after the vicious attack on our naval base in Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, that America engaged in the fight for the freedoms that we still enjoy today. In 1945 the war came to an end, and America was making the shift to being a nation at peace once again. It was during this transitional time that Homer W. was born to Homer W. and Evelyn (Burress) Slavely, in Jeffersonville, Indiana. Due to unknown circumstances he was placed up for adoption and spent some time living in an orphanage before being adopted by Carl and Francis Wigent when he was ten years old. Homer then moved with his parents to their home in South Whitley.

Homer settled right in to his new surroundings. He attended local schools and also milked cows on the family farm while attended South Whitley High School. Always smart as a whip, he found a way to make a little extra money by using his lunch money to buy donuts in the morning, which he would then sell to kids at school. Homer kept this up for a bit, but his parents began catching on and asked what he ate for lunch. He wasnt quite sure how they knew that something was up, but he eventually realized that the school lunch menu was published in the town paper!

As a young man, Homer left high school and joined the United States Marine Corps. He served for a time, but he eventually received a medical discharge due to bad knees. Homer spent some time working a variety of jobs, but he eventually ended up at C R Plating and Carnation Dairy before getting a job at Shambaugh Sons in 1978. This is where he spent the bulk of his career, retiring as their tool man in 2011 after 33 years of dedicated service.

Life was forever changed for Homer when he met the woman of his dreams. Her name was Diane (Hull) Aughinbaugh, and he caught her attention while he was riding around town in his red and white Bronco or his motorcycle at times. One evening they were at the Eagles, and after being encouraged by a friend Diane struck up a conversation with him. Their conversation made quite an impact on Homer as he called her later that night to talk with her further. The next night the couple attended a concert at the Embassy in Ft. Wayne followed by dinner at Azars. Diane had lost her first husband just one year earlier, but she was struck by Homers good manners and gentlemanly qualities. It was around 10 years later that Homer and Diane became husband and wife on June 24, 1994, in Columbia City. Her two daughters, Michelle and Denise, also became an important part of his life, and Homer loved them as his own. He always made sure that they were part of whatever he and Diane were doing and made a point of being a part of their various activities.

When they married, Homer moved Diane and the girls to his home in Tunker, and they settled right in. They loved being outdoors, and together they all planted over 100 tomato plants and other vegetables each year. Despite his best efforts, Homer never was able to grow corn, but he did enjoy mowing, too. Homer simply loved being with his family, and he was so involved in the lives of the girls. After softball season ended, he took them down to visit his birthmother in Jeffersonville, often staying for a week. They frequently scheduled a time to visit when Thunder Over Louisville was being held as well. Homer also took his wife and the girls to Cedar Point nearly every year, and they visited Lookout Mountain in Tennessee, made trips to Hersey, Pennsylvania, and also went to Gettysburg. On the way home from Gettysburg, Homer even surprised the girls with a stop at Cedar Point!

Later in life Homer continued to delight in his family. As the girls had children, he loved moving into the grandpa role. He was there for any event that Klarrissa, Klayton, Aleighya, or Mackenzie were a part of as he wanted to support them in whatever they did whether it was a school event, soccer, 4-H, or football. Homer was especially proud that they were part of 4-H. He and Diane continued living in their home in Tunker until moving to Columbia City six months ago. Throughout his life Homer was also an avid Green Bay Packer fan who rarely missed a game on television.

With unending kindness toward others, Homer Wigent was a blessing to everyone he met. He was a jokester who loved to tease people, and his zest for life was contagious to all who were within his reach. A devoted family man, Homer treasured his roles as a husband and father, but he just may have argued that nothing was better than becoming a grandpa. Deeply loved, he will be forever missed.

Homer W. Wigent, of Columbia City, IN, died on Sunday morning, February 7, 2016, at his home. Homers family includes his wife, Diane Wigent; daughters, Michelle (Glenn) Alvord of Columbia City and Denise (Karmen) Noe of Columbia City; children, Ricky (Tonya) Wigent of North Carolina and Halena (Mike Raska) McMullen of New Haven; eight grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren. Homer was preceded in death by his four parents and a sister, Carrol. Visitation will be 2-4 and 6-8 p.m. Wednesday, February 10, 2016, at DeMoney-Grimes, a Life Story Funeral Home, 600 Countryside Drive, Columbia City. Funeral services will be 10 a.m. Thursday at the funeral home. Burial will follow at Nolt Cemetery. Memorial donations may be made in his honor to the Whitley County 4-H, Inc. To send Homers family online condolences, visit www.demoneygrimes.com .