Norman, Oklahoma - It is with heavy hearts that the Wiggs family announces the passing of Hermine Wiggs on Wednesday, August 13th, 2025, with her family surrounding her bedside. Hermine lived a full life that overflowed with heart and passion.

Born in Munich, Germany on January 5, 1936, to Gustav Hartmann and Kreszenz Schlichter, she came into the world during one of the darkest chapters in history. Her childhood was shaped by the chaos of World War II, yet she emerged from it with a

fierce spirit and a storyteller's soul. She never forgot the moments that defined her early years, and she often spoke of them to family. She had experiences such as clinging to her father's legs to prevent the Gestapo from taking him away for speaking negatively about Hitler, causing the officer to offer a warning instead. She went to the German countryside with her brother to beg

for bread and eggs because farmers had more and would share with children. She worried about her mother who gave birth to her sister while bombs were dropping above them. Later in her child's curiosity, she accidently wheeled her sibling in the baby carriage into a Russian POW camp. She stumbled upon a crack in the fence to visit soldiers who wound up cooking her a potato over a fire until a guard spotted them and returned the children home. Finally, she would recall the American soldiers that drove by in tanks at the ending of the war. She waved a small white flag as she watched them, and they gave her a chocolate bar in passing. These early experiences shaped a young woman who embraced life with an open heart and an

adventurous spirit. She still considered her childhood to be a good one because of the relationships she had with her friends and family and felt blessed to survive.

During the occupation of Munchen she met an American soldier named Bill Wiggs. She spoke with him for only a few minutes about her dream of

coming to America. That brief encounter sparked six years of letters across the ocean. In 1956, she boarded a ship to New York City and then traveled to Norman, Oklahoma where she married Bill just weeks later. Their love story was quiet but enduring. Together they raised three children and built a life full of laughter, travel, and devotion. Their marriage lasted nearly forty years until Bill's passing in 1995.

Hermine was known as "Helen" by her American friends. She forged lasting bonds wherever she went, a testament to her infectious warmth and

ability to find kindred spirits even in the most unexpected places, like the post office or a coffee shop. Helen had a gift for friendship. She could strike up a conversation with anyone and turn it into a lifelong bond. Some of her friendships even lasted seventy to eighty years. She outlived nearly all of her friends, and she missed them deeply. Her warmth, humor, and ability to connect with others made her unforgettable.

Her two greatest` passions were travelling and gardening while at home. She returned to Germany often to visit her family and was present for the birth of her niece Stefanie whom she had a special bond with. She cruised tropical waters with her husband and sons and adventured across the United States with her daughter and grandchildren or with friends. She visited every state at least once, savoring each experience. She was always ready to go somewhere.

Even as dementia touched Hermine's life in her later years, Hermine remained playful and full of life. Living with her daughter, granddaughter, and great-granddaughters, she found joy in the little things. She wore bunny ears or silly glasses to make the girls laugh. Her sense of humor never faded, and her love for her family never wavered.

Hermine was preceded in death by her parents Gustav and Kreszenz Hartmann, her husband William "Bill" Wiggs, her brother Carl Hartmann, eldest son William G. Wiggs, nieces Liz and Karen, and nephews Chuck, Patrick, and Michael.

She leaves behind a legacy of love that extends to her sister Hildegard Tasch and brother-in-law Peter Tasch, their daughter Stefanie Brug and her husband Stefan Brug of Munchen, Germany. Her children Patricia Wiggs (Norman) and Wayne Wiggs (Tampa,

FL). Her grandchildren Christina and David Owen (Norman), Jayden Morgan Wiggs (Arcadia), and her great-grandchildren Maya, Ava, and Aiden (Norman). She also leaves behind many nieces and a nephew and their families across the United States including Cindy, Mara, Theresa, Joan, Cathy, Rosemary, Diana, and Jack Jr.