Nell "Bug" Everage Wiggins

Gladys Nell “Bug” Everage Smith Wiggins, 91, died June 4, 2021, at her home in Beaumont.

She was born May 19, 1930, in Montrose, La., to Mancy and Mary Everage. They lived in Louisiana until 1943 when they moved to Jasper, Texas. Nell graduated from Jasper High School in 1947 and later that year married the late Ziess Smith, Jr. Their daughter, Patricia Nell, was born a year later.

Nell worked as a telephone operator until 1958 and was employed at First National Bank of Jasper from 1960 to 1969. They then moved to Beaumont where she worked at American National Bank and Education First FCU.

She married Daylee Wiggins on May 26, 1990 and were married until his death in 1999.

Nell loved to travel, especially to Nashville, San Francisco, Europe, Hawaii, Colorado and on Elvis Presley cruises.

Nell loved her family and dear friends, loved to talk and truly never met a stranger. She suffered a stroke in 2018 that affected her speech which was very hard for her.

Nell was a member of St. Paul’s United Methodist Church until its closure. She loved the Lord and her church family. She worked in the United Methodist Women’s Mission Group in several capacities.

Nell is preceded in death by her parents; sisters, Florence Russell, Ruthie Miller and DeLain Thibodeaux; and brother, Joseph “Buddy” Everage.

Survivors include her daughter, Patricia Shuler; grandson, Shannon Shuler and wife Debbie; children, Joy Wiggins Jung and husband Brian and Geoffery Wiggins; and great-grandchildren, Robin Lindsey, Reid Lane Shuler, Megan Venable and husband Brennan, and Emily Jung; great-grandchild, Jackson Venable; and all her nieces and nephews.

The family thanks her niece, Mary Teutsch for her care during Nell’s cancer treatment; Diane Anderson for her care after Nell’s stroke, and her niece, Sherry DuBois for her care.

A gathering of Mrs. Wiggins’ family and friends will begin at 12:30 p.m. with her funeral service to follow at 2:30 p.m., Monday, June 7, 2021, at Broussard’s, 1605 North Major Drive, Beaumont. Her interment will follow at Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Beaumont. Serving as pallbearers will be Bryan Clark, Chase Wert, Logan Goss, Cecil DuBois, Charlie Pickle and John Harris.

Memorials may be made to Some Other Place, P.O. Box 0843, Beaumont, Texas 77704 or to the charity of your choice.

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