James R. (Ronnie) Wiggins

James R. (Ronnie) Wiggins of Maryville, Tennessee passed away at Jefferson City Rehabilitative Center on Wednesday, May 20, 2026. Ron Wiggins was born January 31, 1941, in Houston, Texas to Lois Ruth Lloyd Wiggins and James Frank Wiggins. He attended Crosby High School in Crosby, Texas. He excelled in Football and Baseball while at Crosby graduating in 1959. He went on to attend University of Texas in Austin majoring in Business. He then enlisted in the United States Air Force and upon his completion of active service he met and married his first wife, Joanne Peebles. She had two daughters from a previous marriage, Karen and Stephanie, whom he adopted on his own. After his marriage to Joanne, he returned to Texas where he began working for Hartford Insurance Company as an underwriter. As he built his career in the Houston, Texas area he was selected for promotion as a regional underwriting Supervisor and transferred to Hartford, Connecticut to work in the main company headquarters. He eventually retired from The Hartford Insurance Company after 30 years and then began working at Reliance Insurance in Philadelphia, PA as an Executive Vice President of Underwriting. Upon retiring from this position he moved to Boca Raton, FL for a short period and then relocated to Charlottesville, VA to begin working with Edward Jones Fiduciary. After several successful years in Charlotteville he moved to Maryville, Tennessee in 2007 to his final retirement home. In 2010, his first wife, Joanne passed away and he immediately became more active in church. He met his second wife, Cheryl Thompson, of Knoxville, Tennessee and they married in June 2013.

He is preceded in death by his parents; daughter, Karen; granddaughter, Jennafer Fair-Baker and many other loved ones. Ron is survived by his second wife, Cheryl Wiggins and family of Knoxville, Tennessee; his brother, Larry Wiggins and family of Crosby, Texas; his sister Mary Lee Simpson and family of Amite, Louisiana; son-in-law, Marcus Fair and grandson Ryan Baker-Fair, of Alcoa, Tennessee; daughter Stephanie Fidgeon and her family. He will be profoundly missed by all.

Internment and Rendering of Military Honors was held at East Tennessee State Veterans Cemetery at 2200 John Sevier Highway, Knoxville, Tennessee