Mary Katherine (Moeller) Rigg, 78, of Mt. Carmel, was welcomed home by her Heavenly Father on March 20, 2025, after a short stay at Memorial Hospital in Jasper, Indiana.
She was born on July 2, 1946, in Winslow, Indiana, later embraced as the cherished and much-prayed for daughter of Charles and Enola Moeller.
She married David H. Rigg on Oct. 30, 1964, and together they enjoyed more than 60 years of marriage.
She graduated from Mt. Carmel High School in 1964, and a year later she and David were thrilled to welcome home their first daughter, Karen Ann (Rigg) Kennard. Fifteen years later, they decided to do it all again, rejoicing in the arrival of a second daughter, Jennifer Lynn (Rigg) McNeece.
Mary K., as she was affectionately known by all those who loved her, went to work in the medical records department of Wabash General Hospital while still a teenager, beginning what would become a long career serving the local medical community. She dedicated her time, service, and talents to local physicians, enjoying long stints with Drs. Fuller, Cato, and Shah.
Mary K. and David, who enjoyed a long career with Allendale Gravel Company, both retired in the summer of 2006, and later, in fulfillment of a promise made to her husband many years before, they built a little house in the woods near David’s childhood home, together enjoying for many years the quietness and solitude of country life.
They also liked to travel, spending winters in their Florida home, attending as many Gaither Vocal Band concerts as they could, and going on cross-country bus trips with dear friends.
Among her proudest affiliations and achievements was her service and membership to her sorority sisters of the Beta Rho Master Chapter of Beta Sigma Phi. She started in Tau Chapter in November of 1968 and progressed up through Beta Rho Master. She received her Silver Certificate - honoring 25 years - and, later, the Order of the Rose for 50 years of membership. Most recently she served as the treasurer of the Beta Sigma Phi City Council.
Her sorority sisters were among her most cherished and loyal friends, enjoying fun and fellowship through their regular meetings, holiday parties, amusing outings, and philanthropic opportunities.
In addition, she was a member of the Wabash General Hospital Auxiliary, often serving the public in the hospital gift shop.
Mary K. was a woman of great faith. After being raised in a steadfast Catholic home, she later joined with David and extended her service and immense love of Jesus to the modest-but-mighty parishioners of Asbury Chapel, where she was a member until her death.
She showed her love for her family and friends by working tirelessly to make sure each one of them always found within her a place of comfort and support. Whether keeping an immaculate home for her family, ensuring David had a warm meal at the end of a long workday, caring for her daughters through both milestones and mishaps, or making time for a long chat with a friend in need of encouragement, those who knew her and loved her will remember her with fondness and gratitude.
Even when her body no longer allowed her to do the things she once enjoyed so much, she used social media to keep in close touch with friends and distant family, extending to them messages of affection and inspiration, and to share her admiration and love for her daughters’ and grandchildren’s accomplishments and life journeys.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Charles and Enola Moeller; in-laws, Hughes and Katie Rigg; and a beloved infant granddaughter, Paige Katherine Kennard, whose untimely death inspired her love of collecting and displaying angels around her home.
Mary K.’s family takes great solace in knowing that she was welcomed home to Heaven by her mother, whom she greatly missed, and is now holding Paige once again.
She is survived by her devoted husband, David; daughters, Karen Kennard and her husband, Dick, of New Albany, Indiana, and Jenny McNeece and her husband, Marc, of Vincennes, Indiana.
She also leaves behind grandchildren, whom she adored so much, Abigail Kennard and Jacob Kennard; as well as a brand new great-granddaughter, Tillie Rae Kennard, and a bonus granddaughter, Vivien McNeece.
And we would be remiss in not mentioning her many cherished animals, pictures of whom she loved to share on social media: her dear cat, Buddy, who we know was waiting for her just across the Rainbow Bridge, and Toby, who lives at home with David, as well as her “grand-dogs,” AJ, Luna, Wallace and Violet, and “grand-cats,” Gus and Bit.
Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. on Tuesday, March 25, at Short-Cunningham Funeral Home, 527 N. Mulberry St., Mt. Carmel, with visitation from noon until the hour of service.
Burial will follow at Highland Memorial Cemetery.
Memorials may be made to the Wabash County Animal Shelter. Donations will be collected at the funeral home or can be sent in memory of Mary K. to 11336 N. 1550 Blvd., Mt. Carmel, IL, 62863.
