Kathleen C. Wigsten

I, Kathleen C. Wigsten, AKA, Kathy, Wiggy or various other nicknames I am not aware of, died on October, 15th 2021, at the age of 61. Cause of death, _ _ _ _ _ _ _ cancer, (you can fill in your own adjective or guess mine). I was number 6 out of 8 children of Patricia R. Clark and Howard G. Clark, who predeceased me. I couldn’t write the late Howard G. Clark, as Dad was never late for anything. Those I leave behind are my amazing husband of 37 years, Jere Wigsten, who took wonderful care of me and truly loved me. My children, their spouses and my granddaughter, all of who I loved more than words can say, Sarah and Justin VanTassel with Charlotte VanTassel, Bradley and Jenna Wigsten. Siblings, Mary Anne (Bob) Bly, Margaret Williams, Bill (wife) Clark and Amy (Ed) Bond. In-laws, Brad (Bonnie) Wigsten, Bonnie (Eddie) Wijkowski, David (Nancy) Wigsten, Betsy (Jeff) Weeks. Numerous aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews and cousins. Unfortunately, I cannot list them all individually as I didn’t leave that much money in my estate. Predeceased by my Dad, Howard G. Clark and siblings, Gerald M. Clark, Elizabeth M. Clark and Daniel J. Clark. So, what did I do with my 61 years of life? I graduated from Horseheads HS, and SUNY Morrisville. I worked as a dietetic technician at St. Joseph’s Hospital, library clerk at Horseheads Middle School and the administrative assistant at Center St. Elementary, where I retired from. When I wasn’t working I enjoyed baking and gardening. The best thing I did with my life was being a Mom and lived long enough to earn a bonus of becoming a Nana. I find it difficult to describe myself, so I asked people to describe me in a few words. Here are the answers I received; fun, giving, caring, hardworking, intelligent, a fierce advocate you wanted in your corner, thoughtful, determined, witty, fierce love of family, trustworthy, and the word used the most often, sarcastic! I’m shocked, ha ha. I would like to thank all of the friends and family who supported me through this journey called life, especially since my diagnosis. All of the cards, texts, rides and many other ways people supported me. I am blessed to have too many to name. I could not have gotten this far without Sue McCabe, my rock and Nan Robbins. In lieu of flowers, perform an act of kindness in my memory; write a note to the Corning Cancer Center staff, 2 Guthrie Dr, Corning, NY 14830 to show our appreciation of the amazing compassion and care that I received there from everyone. My hope is that somewhere along the way I made someone’s life a little easier, their day a little brighter. If you’re wondering why I wrote my own obituary, I wanted to have the last word. Family and friends are invited to calling hours at James D. Barrett Funeral Home on Sunday, October 24, 2021 from 1 to 4 pm. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Monday, October 25th at 11 am in St. Patricks Church with Fr. Richard Farrell as celebrant. Masks are required for both locations of celebrations.