Linda Wiggins

BIOGRAPHY

Linda Wiggins was born at St Helen’s Hospital in Auckland, New Zealand, on 17 September 1908. She was the oldest of nine children born to Thomas Edwin Churches (1883–1975) and Annie May Parker (1889–1969). One of her brothers was Kenneth Percival Churches (1910–1980). As a child, Linda cared for her younger brother before starting school and assisted her father by milking cows by hand every day. She spent a few years in Coromandel with her maternal grandfather. Later, the family relocated to Dargaville, where she met her future husband.

In 1929, she married Fred Wiggins in Dargaville. The couple had five children: Jim Wiggins, Audrey Vesey, Harry Wiggins, Tom Wiggins, and Lynette Harrison. The family farmed in Dargaville, Kirikopuni, and Oramahoe before retiring to Rotorua and later to Te Puke, where her husband passed away in 1976. Following his death, she moved to Mt Maunganui, where she lived independently for 27 years. At the age of 99, she relocated to Stratford to live with her daughter, Lynette Harrison. She overcame cancer in her 60s.

At 103 years old, Linda regularly went swimming. By the age of 105, it was reported that she visited a rest-home facility twice a week as part of a daycare program. She was still gardening at the time. When asked about the secret to her health, she credited it to her life on the farm. In 2015, she moved into a rest home.

At the age of 110, it was reported that she was deaf and had impaired vision, but otherwise, she was in good health. According to her daughter, she remained fairly agile and continued to enjoy her food. At the time, she had 19 grandchildren, 50 great-grandchildren, and 49 great-great-grandchildren.

Wiggins passed away at the Mairere Rest Home in Stratford, Taranaki Region, on 2 December 2018, at the age of 110 years, 76 days.

RECOGNITION

On 19 June 2018, following the passing of 111-year-old Madeline Anderson, she became the oldest living person in New Zealand, at the age of 109 years, 275 days.

Five days after her 110th birthday, Mabel Jenkins also turned 110. This marked the first time in the country’s history that it had two living supercentenarians.

Upon her passing in December 2018, Jenkins succeeded her as the nation’s oldest living resident.

Her age has not been validated.