Obituary for Edrye W. Riggs
Edrye W. Riggs, 88, of 135 W. Gogebic St.,
Ironwood, died Thursday, Nov. 18, 2010, at Josephson Nursing Home in
Ironwood. The former Edrye Wright was born Aug. 4, 1922,
in Ironwood, daughter of the late Judge and Mrs. Robert R. Wright. She attended
St. Ambrose grade school and graduated from Luther L Wright High School in 1940.
She did secretarial work in Washington, D.C., Chicago, Ann Arbor and New York
City. While in Washington, she belonged to the dancing chorus at the Capitol
Theater, where she met her future husband. She married Joseph V. Riggs at St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City on May 17, 1943. He died July 10, 1980. They moved to
Ironwood and established Riggs Office Supplies and Gifts in 1948, retiring in
1976. She was a charter member of Theatre North and
served on its board, as well as the boards of Gogebic Council for the Arts and
Range YMCA, of which she served as president in 1985. She was a member of Our
Lady of Peace Catholic Church in Ironwood. Edrye was active at Theatre North and
performed in many shows, most notably, "Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolff?", "Love
Letters", and "The Glass Menagerie". But the play she was most proud of was
with her two daughters, "Agnes of God". Theater was always in her blood and she
wanted nothing better than to either perform in a play, or attend
one. She is survived by two sons, Joseph Jr.
(Jane), Tucson, Ariz., and Lynn C., Santa Fe, New Mex.; two daughters, Edrye
(Tom) Doman, Tucson, and Amy (Mark) Sperry, Flagstaff, Ariz.; six grandchildren
and five great-grandchildren, Joseph Riggs III, Robert Riggs, Dawn Perez,
Beckett Mathews, Karmae Doman and Max Doman, Sydney, Quentin and Eliza Perez,
and Isabel and Grace Mathews; and three sisters and their families, Julann
Griffin, Palmyra, Va., Sally Latchford, Washington, DC., and Maureen (Donald)
Roberts, Charlottesville, Va.. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated
Sat. Nov. 27, at 11 a.m., at Our Lady of Peace
Catholic Church, with the Rev. Darryl J. Pepin, celebrant. Rite of Committal will take place in the St.
Joseph Family Room at the church, with luncheon to follow in the parish
hall. Interment will be in Riverside
Cemetery, Ironwood. Relatives and friends may call in the St.
Joseph Family Room at the church from 10 to 11 a.m. on Saturday. To view Edrye's obituary online, sign the
guestbook or express condolences, visit
mckevittpatrickfuneralhome.com. Arrangements are entrusted to McKevitt-Patrick
Funeral Home and Cremation Services of Ironwood. A huge thank you goes out to the incredible
staff at Josephson's. Without exception they went out of their way to treat her
with care and respect. The family is immensely grateful.
Ironwood, died Thursday, Nov. 18, 2010, at Josephson Nursing Home in
Ironwood. The former Edrye Wright was born Aug. 4, 1922,
in Ironwood, daughter of the late Judge and Mrs. Robert R. Wright. She attended
St. Ambrose grade school and graduated from Luther L Wright High School in 1940.
She did secretarial work in Washington, D.C., Chicago, Ann Arbor and New York
City. While in Washington, she belonged to the dancing chorus at the Capitol
Theater, where she met her future husband. She married Joseph V. Riggs at St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City on May 17, 1943. He died July 10, 1980. They moved to
Ironwood and established Riggs Office Supplies and Gifts in 1948, retiring in
1976. She was a charter member of Theatre North and
served on its board, as well as the boards of Gogebic Council for the Arts and
Range YMCA, of which she served as president in 1985. She was a member of Our
Lady of Peace Catholic Church in Ironwood. Edrye was active at Theatre North and
performed in many shows, most notably, "Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolff?", "Love
Letters", and "The Glass Menagerie". But the play she was most proud of was
with her two daughters, "Agnes of God". Theater was always in her blood and she
wanted nothing better than to either perform in a play, or attend
one. She is survived by two sons, Joseph Jr.
(Jane), Tucson, Ariz., and Lynn C., Santa Fe, New Mex.; two daughters, Edrye
(Tom) Doman, Tucson, and Amy (Mark) Sperry, Flagstaff, Ariz.; six grandchildren
and five great-grandchildren, Joseph Riggs III, Robert Riggs, Dawn Perez,
Beckett Mathews, Karmae Doman and Max Doman, Sydney, Quentin and Eliza Perez,
and Isabel and Grace Mathews; and three sisters and their families, Julann
Griffin, Palmyra, Va., Sally Latchford, Washington, DC., and Maureen (Donald)
Roberts, Charlottesville, Va.. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated
Sat. Nov. 27, at 11 a.m., at Our Lady of Peace
Catholic Church, with the Rev. Darryl J. Pepin, celebrant. Rite of Committal will take place in the St.
Joseph Family Room at the church, with luncheon to follow in the parish
hall. Interment will be in Riverside
Cemetery, Ironwood. Relatives and friends may call in the St.
Joseph Family Room at the church from 10 to 11 a.m. on Saturday. To view Edrye's obituary online, sign the
guestbook or express condolences, visit
mckevittpatrickfuneralhome.com. Arrangements are entrusted to McKevitt-Patrick
Funeral Home and Cremation Services of Ironwood. A huge thank you goes out to the incredible
staff at Josephson's. Without exception they went out of their way to treat her
with care and respect. The family is immensely grateful.