Vassar - Jette Lee (Howard) Wigger, 88, died Monday, September 26, 2022, at home with family by her side.  She was born January 19, 1934, the daughter of Charles W. and Marjorie (Jessop) Howard.  Jette Lee graduated from Michigan Valley High School in 1951.  On September 21, 1952, she married Kenneth E. Wigger.

A talented musician, Jette Lee played piano and accordion, sang and yodeled.  Known as the Tumbleweed Sweetheart, Jette Lee was the first woman in Kansas with her own radio program.  She was a D.J. and was the host of the Hillbilly Hayride of KOFO in Ottawa, KS from 1950-1952.

Jette Lee was a dedicated farm wife and mother who spent her days raising her seven children.  Whether gardening, tending chickens, cooking, cleaning or doing laundry, she always had a song in her heart.

Jette Lee worked at Lamont Hill as a cook and at Hilltop Nursing Home as a Certified Medication Aide where she was awarded the Kansas Nurse Aide of the Year in 1992.  She worked hard serving others her entire life and provided direct "end-of-life" care and support to several family members.

She enjoyed traveling with her family.  Her favorite destinations included Nashville and Branson.  As an avid Royals fan, Jette Lee attended many ball games, including spring training in Surprise, AZ.  She also enjoyed the Buffalo Round-Up in South Dakota and yearly bear hunting trips to Minnesota.

She was a member of the Michigan Valley United Methodist Church, MI singing group, and the Vassar Community Center Board. She volunteered at the Vassar Playhouse and occasionally performed there. Jette Lee was honored as the Osage County Mother of the Year in 1990 and was the Grand Marshall of the 2011 Vassar Fun Fest. She left us with a life well lived and was the epitome of serving others.

Jette Lee loved her family and displayed her strong faith throughout her life.  She was preceded in death by her husband, Kenneth, on December 23, 1989; her father, Charlie, in 1984; her mother, Marjorie, in 1977; her sister, Marguerite (Peggy) Howard, in 1938; a granddaughter, Emily Wigger, in 1990; her In-Laws, Henry and Frieda Wigger in 1988; her Brother and Sister-in-law, Lawrence and Eileen Wigger, in 2020 and niece, Julie (Wigger) Grossman, in 2010.

She will be lovingly remembered by her children, Anita (Roger) Williams, Loveland CO; Peggy (Tom) Hillmon, Lenexa, KS; Diane Wigger, Paris, France; Dean (Brenda) Wigger, Pomona, KS; Joan (Mike) Hoeschen, Max, MN; Jean Wigger Teig, Vassar, KS; and Larry (Sandy) Wigger, Lyndon, KS; 15 grandchildren; 20 great-grandchildren; her sister, Terry (Ed) Altic; Pomona, KS, nephews Doug (Tracy) Altic, Curt (Sarah) Altic, Daryl (Dev) Altic, David (Karen) Wigger, Howard (Kimberly) Grossman and many great nieces and nephews.

Memorial services for Jette Lee will be held at 11:00am on Saturday, November 5 at the Michigan Valley United Methodist Church. Inurnment will be in the Vassar Cemetery. The family will receive friends from 6:30 to 8:00pm on Friday at the Feltner Funeral Chapel in Lyndon. Memorial contributions may be made to the Michigan Valley United Methodist Church or the Vassar Community Center, sent in care of the funeral home.