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G. La Moyne (Harris) Wiginton took the hand of her son and entered Heaven’s gates the morning of Monday, Nov. 9, 2015.
La Moyne was born June 9, 1933, in Hobart to James Gravlee Harris and Mary Elizabeth (Frederick) Harris. La Moyne accepted Christ as her Savior in June 1943 and was baptized at First Baptist Church in Hobart by Rev. Vernie S. Pipes. During her early teenage years, she committed her life to serve her Lord, no matter where, and made that decision public at Falls Creek assembly, as well as in her home church.
La Moyne graduated from Colorado Springs High School in 1951. She met her soulmate and the “Love of her Life,” Travis Eugene Wiginton, on Nov. 2, 1951, and they were married on Sept. 13, 1953, at First Southern Baptist Church in Colorado Springs (where her dad was a deacon and her mother was the Women’s Missionary Union president).
While
Travis was attending classes at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in
Ft.Worth, Texas, La Moyne “audited” many classes, since they were unable to
afford both of them attending classes. While in seminary, La Moyne sang in
the Baptist Hour Choir, which sang on the radio weekly, and was a member of
the Seminary Choir.
Always having a thirst to learn all she could about
people everywhere, La Moyne used to read/look at National Geographic
Magazine as a teenager, later reading TIME magazine and every newspaper she
could find just to learn more about the world she and Travis felt called to
minister to.
Her first calling was as a wife and mother, but she also ministered in various capacities in each church that Travis pastored. La Moyne loved young people and taught junior high and high school ages in Sunday school, as well as taught them again in Training Union on Sunday evenings. She also served as a substitute teacher in several junior high and high schools in California and Nicoma Park. She formed a youth choir while Travis was pastor of Foothill Baptist Church in Los Altos, California, which eventually grew to more than 40 young people.
La Moyne received a voice scholarship to attend Wayland Baptist University in Plainview, Texas, and sang in the Wayland International Choir. To prepare for the mission field, La Moyne resumed her schooling at the University of Wyoming. She attended classes for a year while Travis was pastor of First Southern Baptist Church in Cheyenne. She drove round trip over a 10,000-foot mountain every day, in order to be back home each evening with her family (which, by then, included Craig, 3, and Kevin, 1, and of course, Travis).
La Moyne was appointed, along with her husband, as Southern Baptist Foreign Missionaries to Korea in 1960. While in Seoul, she attended Yon Sei University in Seoul for two years for seven hours each day to learn the Korean language and also gave birth to their third son, Kyle. Following completion of language school, the family moved to Taegu, Korea, where she was a homemaker while Travis served as associate missionary to 25 surrounding churches.
Unable to return to Korea following a medical furlough, they ministered to churches in California, Oklahoma, Texas and the Hawaiian Islands. During the 1990s, they served as interim pastor and wife to five churches in Hawaii. La Moyne suffered with systemic lupus erythematosus from an early age but thrived in her time in Hawaii, thanks to the climate and the wonderful friendships she made while there.
All through the years, she enjoyed sharing her God-given talent of singing, trying always to remember what her dad told her when she left for college: “Always remember to sing so that people can understand the words, or it will only be a “show” and most likely will not minister to their hearts.”
There were many children other than her own “flesh and blood” who called her “Mom,” and one Mother’s Day, she received 14 cards addressed to “Mom.” La Moyne was incredibly gifted in her ability to stay in touch with family and friends, staying up late at night to offer words of encouragement via letters and emails. In retirement, she and Travis continued to serve others by posting his sermons online on FaithWriters.
Her favorite titles through the years were “My Moyne” by Travis, “Mom” by her children and “Tutu” (the Hawaiian word for grandmother) by her grandchildren. Although there is no way to measure how much we miss her, we find solace in the joyful image of La Moyne reuniting with her beloved son, Kyle. We know she was in the presence of Kyle, her parents, her brother and other loved ones when she heard the Lord say, “You’ve been faithful, La Moyne.”
La Moyne is survived by her loving husband, Travis; brother, Joe (Diana) and sister, Jamie La Marylis (Neal); sons Craig (JoAnna), Kevin (Michelle) and Richard; daughters Kristin (Susan), Jane (Gaetan), Darr (Kyle) and Shirley Brister; and grandchildren Jeremiah, Hailey, James (Bethany), Travis, Halston and Meg. La Moyne is also survived by many nieces, nephews, and cousins on the Harris and Wiginton sides of the family, as well as a multitude of friends from Hobart, Altus, Norman and Nicoma Park; Colorado Springs; Los Altos, California; Kailua-Kona, Hilo, Waikoloa, Waimea, and Kahului, Hawaii.
La Moyne was preceded in death by her son, James Kyle; her parents, Jim and Mary; and her brother, Jimmy.
A time of remembrance will be from 5 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 17, at Havenbrook Funeral Home in Norman. La Moyne’s funeral service will be 1 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 18, at Bethel Baptist Church in Norman.
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