Dr. Kay Moeckly Wiggins, 79, died on Sunday, June 2, at her home on Bainbridge Island, Washington. She was born February 17, 1934 in Amherst, South Dakota.
Kay is survived by her loving children, Bryan and Karis Wiggins of Bainbridge Island and Syracuse, New York, their spouses Audrey Wiggins and Dr. Karl Sperber; her sister and brother-in-law, Joy and Bob Kloster of Vandalia, Illinois; her brothers, Kirk and Randy Moeckly of Britton, South Dakota, and Kirk’s wife Carol Moeckly. Also surviving are her grandchildren, Clayton, Erin, and Haley Wiggins; nieces and nephews, Andrea Horn, Kurt Kloster, Ryan, Steven, and Barbara Moeckly; and several cousins. She was preceded in death by her parents, Welby and Mariah Luzetta Moeckly and her sister, Llea Moeckly.
Kay was a groundbreaking scholar, educator, and administrator during a career of more than 40 years in nursing education, lovingly guiding the establishment, growth, and accreditation of the School of Nursing at Syracuse University and later also serving at Keuka College in central New York. She graduated Britton High School in 1952, Texas Christian University in 1956, received her master in nursing education from New York University in 1963 and earned her PhD in pre-natal child care in 1983. She was a trusted and beloved advisor to hundreds of aspiring and established nursing professionals throughout her career and afterward. Kay was married in 1956 to Dr. James B. Wiggins of Syracuse, New York, where they resided for nearly 37 years.
Kay was a devoted and generous supporter of the arts and particularly enjoyed music and modern dance, which she practiced privately and publicly for many years. She was best known and will forever be remembered for her selfless and loving spirit, with which she touched the lives of everyone she encountered, from her earliest days on the farm in South Dakota to her last ones at the Bailey Manor adult family home on Bainbridge Island.
Memorial Services will be held at 3 p.m. on Friday, June 28 at Hendricks Chapel on the campus of Syracuse University, and at 11 a.m. on Saturday, July 27 at United Methodist Church in Britton, SD.
Donations in her memory can be made to the Alzheimer’s Association or the American Hospice Foundation.
Date of Death: June 2, 2013