Iona Frances Sigler

Iona Frances Sigler, age 101, of Wadsworth, passed away on Friday, May 30, 2025 at the Woodlands at Liberty in Wadsworth. Iona was born in Burbank, on August 4, 1923, the daughter of Carl E. and Jessie L. (Bair) Gray and graduated from Burbank High School.

While in high school she took piano lessons for 3 months of was good enough to accompany her high school choir and orchestra, replacing a girl who had taken lessons for several years. Although she would have preferred to sing in the choir.  Her father had taught Iona and her sister, Pauline, to sing and they often sang at church and funerals.  When Iona’s children were in school, she sang in a group called “ The Mothersingers.”

In 1942, Iona married Jay Whitmore. A week before their first child was born, he was drafted into the army and didn’t get to see his son, Darrell, for 7 months. While he was serving in the army, Iona worked in the factory of the Ohio Injector in Wadsworth grinding valves for ships and submarines. She was a “Rosie” as women working in factory defense jobs were affectionally known. Iona went to be with him when he was transferred there before being sent overseas. Jay was shot and killed in Germany on April 30, 1945. Iona received the news on May 15 and gave birth to their daughter, Carol, on May 25. She later married William Sigler and they had a son, Terry, and were married 55 years before his death on March 23, 2003.

Iona worked at Cook’s Drive-In and then the A+P grocery store for 22 1/2 years. She had been a member of the Aukerman Church. Iona loved to crochet and made many wonderful doilies and afghans for her family and friends and for many, many babies. She also liked to quilt and made about 10 of them. She had an organ and then later an electric piano and continued to play at home well into her 90’s.

Surviving is her daughter, Carol and husband Jim Doenges of Bourbonnais, Illinois; son Terry and his wife Suzanne Sigler of West Salem; daughter-in-law, Roselyn Whitmore of Babcock Ranch, Florida, and her brother, Elwin Gray of Washington. She has 5 grandchildren, 15 great-grandchildren, and many nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her husbands, Jay and Bill; son, Darrell Whitmore, a grandson, Wayne Whitmore and brothers and sisters, Merle, Richard, Ray Gray, Pauline Ramsier, Alpha Emig and Janet Gray.

Services will be Friday, June 6th at 11:00 A.M. at Murray Funeral Home in Creston where friends may call from 10:00 A.M. until time of services. Don Bolich will officiate the service.  Burial will be in Ohio Western Reserve National Cemetery. In lieu of flowers contributions can be made to Wounded Warrior Project.