Funeral Services for Paul Lavelle Wiggins, age 89, of Carriere, Miss., who passed away Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024, will be held Monday, Oct. 7, 2024, at 2:30 p.m. at McDonald Funeral Home Chapel. Visitation will be Monday, Oct. 7, 2024 from 1:30 p.m. until 2:30 p.m. at McDonald Funeral Home. Burial will be in New Palestine Cemetery under the direction of McDonald Funeral Home. The Rev. Robert Eastwood will officiate the service.

Paul grew up in Winnsboro, La. working as a sharecropper with his mother Elsie; sister, Helen; and brother, Charles. After high school Paul served in the United States Air
Force. Upon completion of active duty, Paul attended LSU where he earned a degree in Electric Engineering and met his first wife of 49 years, Annette Riche’. Paul and Annette settled in New Orleans where he worked for Chrysler Aerospace. Some projects he worked on included designing and testing several of the cockpit and control was tasked with designing and running the testing facility that tested the O-rings on space panel variations for the Gemini, Mercury, and Apollo missions. While at Chrysler, Paul also worked on several other projects for the military, including collapsible bridges, latrine systems, and kitchens for easy setup and take down for troops deployed in the field. One of the most used technologies that he developed was the radar range finder for the M1 Abrams tank. This technology is still used today in autofocus and auto flash features. It is also the technology used in lane departure warning systems, parking and braking sensors, and blind spot monitors. After a stellar career, Paul joined the team at United Technologies where he shuttles after the disastrous Challenger flight. Once they became empty nesters, Paul and Annette built a house in Picayune, Miss. where they joined Roseland Park Baptist Church. Paul enjoyed many activities including gardening, deep sea fishing, and visitations by his children and a multitude of grandchildren. Paul lost his wife in 2009. Shortly afterward he married Bonnie McCaskell with whom he enjoyed traveling, attending ballgames, and spending time with his blended family.

He was preceded in death by his parents, William Wiggins and Elsie Neathery Graves; his first wife, Annette Riche Wiggins; his son, David (Ting Ting) Wiggins; his grandson, Philip Eastwood; and his sister, Helen Marsh.

Left to cherish his memory are his loving and devoted wife, Bonnie Sue Coe McCaskell-Wiggins; his daughters, Linda Wiggins and Carol (Bob) Eastwood; grandchildren, Paul, James, Melissa, Mark, Jenna, Emily, Amy, Jonathan, Brandon, Wynn, and Ada; great-grandchildren, Isaiah, Meredith, Emmitt, Clayton “C.J.”, Galen, Miles, Bronwen and Jolie; his brother, Charles (Gloria) Wiggins; and several nieces and nephews.