Peter Jonathan Wigley
1946 – 2010
PORTLAND — Peter Jonathan Wigley, 63, of Danville, died suddenly on Jan. 9, of heart failure at Maine Medical Center.
He was born April 30, 1946, to Hilda E. and Kenneth L. Wigley in Portland. He lived in Brunswick early in his life, and despite very significant hearing impairment, with the support and advocacy of his family, he attended public schools and was one of the early recipients of speech therapy at school and in the home.
He often commented on how fortunate he was to be in a mainstreamed program and the importance of the services that he received. In 1960, his family moved to Buxton and he graduated from Bonnie Eagle High School in 1964. After graduating from the University of Southern Maine in 1968, he taught high school briefly in Buckfield.
Soon after, he started working at the Maine Department of Human Services in the Lewiston-Auburn area. During his long career at DHS, he provided caring services as a Child Protective Worker and Supervisor.
All that knew him will attest to his commitment to helping children and families, his dedication to training new casework staff, and ensure quality services were provided. He never lost his interest in educating others, and occasionally taught classes at Central Maine Technical College.
He was a man with many and varied interests. He read voraciously, was a skilled writer, photographer, interesting conversationalist and had a profound love of music. Since his retirement from DHS last year, he dedicated even more of his time to listening and supporting live music. Long known as a stellar “Grateful Dead” fan, he loved many types of music including Bluegrass, County and the Blues.
He is survived by his ex-wife and long term confidant, Karen Edgecomb of Saco; his daughter, Jennifer Holsinger and her husband, Eric, and his grandson, Delsin Holsinger of Saco; his stepson, Sean Coffey of Boston, Mass.; his mother, Hilda E. Wigley of Westbrook; his sister, Jane Richard and her husband, Raymond, of Westbrook; his nieces, Kristina Larkin and fiancé, Grady Moore, of Ooltewah, Tenn., and Stephanie Larkin of Cumberland; a nephew, Alex Larkin of Westbrook; several great-nieces; and a large circle of caring friends.
He was predeceased by his father, Kenneth L. Wigley in 1974. He will be missed by all.