Katie Gillett Wigham

Katie Gillett Wigham was born at home June 23, 1923 in the Willwood farming area south of Powell, Wyoming. She was the seventh child of Herbert E. and Retta H. Gillett who had moved their family by emigrant train from Hamilton, Missouri to homestead near Powell in 1918. Her brothers were Lyle, Clarence, Elgin, Ralph, Louis, Lee, infant Allen Burdette, and her only sister was Nellemay. Katie attended school in Powell and graduated from high school in 1941. During her school years, she learned to play the piano from her older sister, Nellemay. She also played French horn in band and was active in 4-H. During the summers of high school, she made trips to Denver, St. Louis and Chicago to receive 4-H awards for her bread baking, record keeping and leadership. In June following her high school graduation, she was a delegate from Wyoming to the National 4-H Conference in Washington, D.C. Because of this trip, she postponed her wedding from June until August. Katie married William Robert (Bob) Wigham of Powell on August 21, 1941. They lived for a short time in San Diego where Bob worked for the air defense industry. After December 7, 1941 they moved back to Powell and farmed from 1942 until 1950. Then they moved to Sterling, Colorado where they operated a successful welding and excavating business. Katie was the bookkeeper for their business and the manager of the Sterling High School Cafeteria for eight years. While living in Sterling, Katie was a member of the First Baptist Church. In 1973, Bob and Katie moved their excavating company to Denver and continued their business until Bob retired in 1984. They were members of Berkeley Baptist Church where Katie devoted herself to volunteer work. She served as president of the American Baptist Women at Berkeley, chairman of the Deaconess Board and the Mission Board, she sang in the church choir and taught 5th and 6th grades in Sunday School. She was also a volunteer at the Mountain Vista Nursing Home for seventeen years. She served as president of the Mountain Vista Auxiliary from 1975 until 1990. Bob and Katie celebrated their 50th Wedding Anniversary with a large party in the basement of the Berkeley Baptist Church on August 25, 1991. Bob and Katie lived in Holiday Hills Village, a 55+ retirement community in North Denver. Bob passed away December 3, 2002 following an automobile accident. Katie attended the Holiday Hills Community Church until she moved to an assisted living facility in 2006. She finally moved to Boulder Manor Nursing Home in 2009 where she peacefully passed away on June 3, 2014. Katie's four children are Roberta K. Wyckoff (Reggie) of Genoa, Colorado, Nancy L. Brubaker (Rex) of Denver, Colorado, Thomas D. Wigham (Kathy) of Westminster, Colorado, and William D. Wigham (Linda) of Greeley, Colorado. She is also survived by 11 grandchildren, 20 great-grandchildren, and 4 great-great grandchildren. Katie was preceded in death by her husband, her brothers, her sister and all of their spouses. A memorial service to celebrate Katie's life will be held at 11:00 a.m., Saturday, June 14, 2014 at the Holiday Hills Community Church at 2000 West 92nd Avenue, Federal Heights, Colorado 80260. There will be a luncheon following the service. A private family committal service will be held at the Mizpah Cemetery in Platteville, Colorado on Monday, June 16, 2014 at 11:00 a.m. In memory of Katie, memorials may be made to the Holiday Hills Community Church at the address listed above. Please share your memories of Katie and condolences with her family by signing the guestbook below.