Carolyn Louise Kiggins Wilson

Carolyn Louise Kiggins was born on May 25, 1944 to Claude and Mabel Kiggins in Torrance, California. She spent her childhood enjoying the oceans and Redwoods with her sisters, Chloe and Bonnie in Eureka, California, a place she held dear to her heart. She had five children that drove her crazy, but loved dearly, that she raised in the plains of North Dakota. Carolyn accomplished her lifelong goal of becoming a Registered Nurse in May of 1990. She moved to Saudi Arabia, worked at King Faisal Specialty and Research Centre where her stories of the Middle East intrigued us all. She met her own Arabian Knight, James Wilson, and they married on October 16, 1996. James and Carolyn spent the following 2 decades traveling to faraway lands, sipping Mai Tais in the Hawaiian breeze, bouncing on the hides of elephants in Thailand, and spotting crocodiles on the majestic Nile River. Shortly thereafter, they both retired amongst the mountains and cacti of Arizona and after a short, but quick illness, she passed away at Banner Gateway Hospital in Mesa, Arizona with her husband at her side sharing their adventures from around the world with her family. Her legacy continues with her 5 children: Nina (Peter) Neill, Terrilyn (Vidal) Trejo, Patrick (Corina) Dawson, Kimberly (Eric) Ziglinski, Trenton (Stacie) Dawson, and James’ 6 children and their families. Carolyn would always say that she was too young to be a grandmother, albeit she was a caring, loving, and compassionate “Nanny” to 22 grandchildren, but her proudest title was “GG” to 5 great grandchildren. In the spirit of Frank Sinatra, we believed he penned these words just for Carolyn: “I’ve lived a life that’s full, I traveled each and every highway, and more, much more than this, I did it my way.”

A visitation will be at 6:00 pm with a Rosary at 7:00 pm, Thursday September 22, 2016 at Thompson Funeral Chapel, 926 S. Litchfield Rd, Goodyear, AZ 85338. The Funeral Mass will be at 11:00 am Friday, September 23, 2016 at the Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church, 512 N. 93rd Ave, Tolleson, AZ 85353. A reception will follow the services.