Abilene People: Erika Wiginton

ABILENE, Texas (KTAB/KRBC) – Our guest on Abilene People is Erika Wiginton, a 100-year Abilenean with a remarkable life story. Born in Stuttgart, Germany in 1925, Erika grew up under Nazi rule, where she twice saw Adolf Hitler pass by on a train. At just twelve years old, she and her classmates were ordered to wave Nazi flags as the Führer traveled through town. Life was lived under constant fear—Gestapo officers could appear unannounced, checking for loyalty to Hitler and punishing any sign of sympathy for Jews.

Her father, a devout Catholic, and her mother, a steadfast Lutheran, quietly resisted Nazi ideology, raising their eight children with Christian values of kindness and compassion. What’s striking when talking with Erika today is her laughter and joy—qualities that seem almost impossible against the backdrop of her childhood nine decades ago. As a young woman in post–World War II Germany, Erika met an American serviceman who would become her husband. In 1952, she crossed the Atlantic aboard the Queen Mary to begin a new life in the United States. Upon arriving in New York, she was unexpectedly swept onto the game show Truth or Consequences, where she met her future mother-in-law for the very first time—live on national television. Eventually, Erika and her husband—originally from the Texas Panhandle—made Abilene their home, where she has lived for most of her long life. Widowed since the 1970s, she recalls with humor that while she had other chances to remarry, she “did not need that,” always punctuating the memory with laughter. Unlike many episodes of Abilene People, this one plays like a highlight reel—offering glimpses into a century-long journey marked by resilience, love, faith, and the extraordinary spirit of a woman whose life remains as fascinating as it is inspiring.