Loved and Lost: Thomas Wigfall Jr. was a radiology tech — and a knight without armor – NorthJersey.com

This story is part of Loved and Lost, a statewide media collaboration working to celebrate the life of every New Jersey resident who died of COVID-19. To learn more and submit a loved one’s name to be profiled, visit lovedandlostnj.com.

Thomas Wigfall Jr. was a knight without armor.

Suave with a beaming smile, he was a thinker — not one for rocking the boat. But the Jersey City native also knew when to make his presence felt — like when he met his wife, June.

June was reuniting with old friends at Tucker’s Lounge in Jersey City. Some guy kept trying to pick her up. June wasn’t having it. Neither was Wigfall.

He stepped in with his winning smile and rescued his old high school classmate. Tommy and June, both newly single, ended up together for four decades. They married in 1984.

“My mom didn’t date much after the divorce,” Nicole Wigfall said. “He didn’t come around right away, but when he did, I knew it was right.”

Wigfall had four children when he met June, but decided he wanted one more. He asked Nicole if he could adopt her. He told her to take her time and think about the offer. Nicole’s biological father was still in her life.

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“I didn’t hesitate,” she said. “Tommy was really the only father I had ever known. He had been the best thing for us. He was the best thing for me.”

Dynamic in mind and on his feet, Wigfall worked 26 years for Maxwell House in Hoboken, where his father also had been employed. When the plant was sold, a second career called. He went to Essex County College and at the age of 53 took on a new job as a radiology tech. He last worked at Concentra’s Secaucus lab. 

Wigfall relaxed on weekends. He closely followed the New York Giants, New York Knicks and professional tennis. In high school, he was a standout track athlete who earned a scholarship to Seton Hall University.

“He just gobbled up every sport,” Nicole said.

Wigfall had plans to move south after his recent retirement. He was just getting back to full health after surgery to remove a tumor on his colon, his daughter said. He died on April 1 at the age of 74.