Wendy Ann Rigden

Wendy Ann Rigden was born on July 13, 1970 in Chicago Heights, Illinois at 1:21 p.m. Her parents are Bill and Vickie Rigden and she was the second child born to the family. In 1974 the family moved to Sterling, Virginia. As a young child, Wendy was in the first pilot program in scouting for kindergarteners. She started out as a Daisy and ultimately obtained the rank of "Silver". She loved her affiliation with Girl Scouts and especially enjoyed field trips, camp and doing special projects with her troop. Wendy will be remembered for her wonderful sense of humor and her spirit of adventure. She graduated from Plano East Senior High School in 1988 and was also a graduate of Texas A&M University College of Liberal Arts, earning her degree in December of 1994. She was a member of the Texas A&M Women's Choir. Wendy was very active. She traveled extensively, visiting London, France and Hungary. Her hobbies included knitting, sewing and crocheting and she played both piano and violin. She enjoyed rollerblading and horseback riding and was accepted into Horseback Riding for the Handicapped in the 1980's while still living in Virginia. Wendy had the wonderful ability of accepting people for who they were and as a result had friends all over the world. She was employed by W.K. Rose Company of Dallas and Alcon Lab in Ft. Worth. Wendy belonged to the groups Retinoblastoma Survivors and Guide Dogs for the Blind. Wendy was called home and made perfect and whole on February 14, 2010. Her family includes her parents Bill and Vickie Rigden, brother Will Rigden and his wife Carrie, sister Tammy Halton and her husband Paul, nieces and nephews Raelyn and Brennen Rigden and Alex and Kayla Halton, aunt Stephanie White and uncle Bernie Rigden. Wendy also leaves behind many, many wonderful friends whose lives she has touched in a very special way. A Mass of the Resurrection will be celebrated at 11:0 a.m. on Saturday, February 20, 2010 at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church, 2700 W. Spring Creek Pkwy. Plano, Texas 75023 with The Reverend Monsignor Henry V. Petter, celebrant.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Wendy's favorite charities, St. Jude's Children's Hospital (www.stjude.org) or Scottish Rite Dallas (www.tsrhc.org).


The Legend of Wendy
By Kathryn Kroll

Once upon a time, in a land far away, in a village called Plains, lived a simple family. One year they were blessed with a beautiful daughter, whom they named Wendy, which means Valiant Warrior.

While still a little girl, she was playing outside in her yard. Her mother was hanging clothes on the line, watching her daughter play with her dolls. Her father was working in the family garden. Neither parent saw the approaching danger to their child.

The valley dragon known as Cancer had been soaring thru the sky, looking for some human to eat. The dragon spotted Wendy, and thought she would make a tasty afternoon snack. The dragon swooped down from the sky, and carried off the child. As the dragon flew skyward, with this tiny girl in his huge claws, he began taking bites out of her small body

In her childish voice, she spoke to her parents, who were crying with grief. "Mommy, don't cry no more. I was too tough for a dragon to eat. He spit me out."
Wendy was tougher than the doctors though a small girl could be. She recovered and thrived. She was strong, stubborn, and fearless. As she grew older, the villagers looked upon her and were amazed.

Wendy touched the lives of many of the local villagers, and through her travels, became known across the land. She was greatly adored and respected by all she touched.

The dragon stayed away from her for many years, remembering the arrow shot thru his leg. But, these particular breeds of Dragons have the power to self replicate. A severed dragon claw can re-grow into a full dragon.

One day, Wendy felt a pain. The doctors examined her and found a tiny piece of the dragon's claw was still alive, deep inside her. The doctors tried to cut it out. They tried poisons to kill the claw, to stop it from turning into a full dragon, but could not. The dragon grew inside of Wendy, feeding on her life force.
Wendy fought with valor...

One shouted "Find her battle armor. I have a strong steed that she can ride!"
Her friends dressed her in battle gear. They sat her atop a magnificent white horse. They chanted to her: "Ride Victorious to the Kingdom Castle!"
Ride Victorious! Ride Victorious! "
Wendy turned in silence, for she had no strength left for a voice. The white horse started slowly walking up the great mountain toward the King's Castle.

Friends and villagers wept. "We are not ready for her to leave us. We are not brave without her. We are not inspired without her. We do not want her leave us."

And then the wind whispered to them:
"She has been found valiant and worthy.
She will be fully restored.
She will have no pain.
She will see the light once again.


Wendy's friends and neighbors continued to shout as she rode up the mountain, now hidden by the clouds.
"Ride Victorious to the Kingdom Castle!
Ride Victorious! Ride Victorious! We are with you."

The Legend Of Wendy will be told by all that knew her, and were touched by her love, her laughter. She will never be forgotten, or ever really gone from us.
Years from now, when we are silent, we will hear her whispering on the wind:
"I have been fully restored. I have no pain. I can see the light once again. The wind blows through my long hair, and I am free from the Dragon."