“Be thou faithful until death and I will give thee a crown of life.” ~Revelation 2:10
On August 10, 1924, the smiling face of Mother Mary Emma Wiggins Lane graced the Alabama landscape. She answered God’s call from labor to reward on December 5, 2023.
A native of Limestone County, Alabama, Mary Emma was raised in the Monrovia, Alabama community by her mother, the late Mrs. Lillie Mae Moore Wiggins and her father, the late Mr. Robert Wiggins. As the only girl and youngest child in her family, she “looked up” to her brothers, the late Charles W. Bradford and the late Roy Lee Wiggins. The family moved from Limestone County to Madison County where her parents enrolled her in school. After those early school years, Mary Emma “went to the city” to live with her teacher, Mrs. Sarah Hamilton and her husband, beginning Councill High School in the ninth grade in Huntsville, Alabama. She was determined to get an education. During that time, she won the “Best Cook Award”. She attended classes with the late Dr. John Cashin, the late Mr. Thomas Hereford, and the late Mr. James Gurley.
During her formative years, she confessed her faith in Christ and was baptized in September 1944 by Reverend J.M. Cargle, Pastor of Conley Chapel C.M.E. Church. Thus, she began her long legacy of working for the Lord. She subsequently attended Councill Training and graduated in 1945. She then enrolled at Alabama A and M College, now Alabama A and M University, in Normal, Alabama. At the end of her freshman year, she became a teacher at the Union School and taught grades first through sixth. Mary Emma recalled fond memories of many of her former students.
Many suiters came calling during those days; however, one of them, James Lane, won her heart. He was a Navy man who owned a bright new burgundy 1940’s Chevrolet truck. Around 2pm on October 13, 1946, Reverend Cargle married James Lane and Mary Emma Wiggins on the front porch of her mother’s home with family, community friends, and church members from Indian Creek P.B. Church and Conley Chapel attending. She happily recalled, “Grandmother Ella McComb cooked all of the food for the wedding. It was a big wedding and a beautiful evening.”
The newlyweds lived on the Lane Homestead with Mr. Peter Lane. James and Mary Emma had four children in their first home. Later, they built a second home on the property where they had a fifth child. A sixth child named Ella was stillborn and is buried in Indian Creek Cemetery. Mary Emma became a fulltime housewife devoting her energies to raising their children. Her caregiving extended to her mother Lillie, her grandmother Ella, and her father-in-law Peter. She worshipped at Conley Chapel while James attended Indian Creek with his father, Peter. Mary Emma later moved her membership to Indian Creek in order to worship with her husband.
She was a strong force working on the Lane Farm with her husband as they grew crops and raised animals. Mary Emma also made clothes, draperies, and upholstered furniture. Possessing an enormous love for the outdoors, she always had flowers and potted plants on her porches as well as indoors.
After her husband entered the ministry and became a pastor, she became First Lady of the Little Zion P.B. Church (Triana, Alabama) and later Taylor’s Chapel P.B. Church for a total of 61 years. She was President of the Sister’s Aid Society, President of the Mother’s Board, and teacher of the New Converts class at Taylor’s Chapel. She was a recipient of the Rosetta James Foundation “Honoring Our Elders” Award for outstanding community service. She was an elder member of the Lightfoot, Drake, Lane, and Moore family.
She taught her children to develop a “first class sense of themselves.” She expected her children to achieve, to be resilient, to be respectful and to be proud. Her philosophy was “every tub has to sit on its own bottom” and that hard work, commitment, along with being a Christian would help them survive. She will be buried next to her late husband Elder James Lane, Sr. at Indian Creek Cemetery.
The late Pastor James Lane and his devoted wife, Mother Mary Emma Wiggins Lane, are survived by five children: Mrs. Patricia Lane Bullard (Deacon Robert Clarence) of Huntsville, Alabama; Mrs. Cassandra Yvonne Lane Riggins (Dr. Lee Shefton) of Calera, Alabama; Dr. James Lane, Jr., (Dr. Gerri) of Cleveland, Ohio; Reverend Isadore Lane (the late Patricia Ihuaku) of Washington, D.C.; and Minister Roderick Lane (Vijaya “VJ”) of Alexandria, Virginia. They have been blessed with nine grand-children: Shelda, Nigel, Jelani, Kira, Uzoma, Kelechi, Lillian, Jennifer, and Alyssa. They also have nine great-grandchildren, one great-great grandchild, nieces, nephews, cousins, other relatives and friends.
Funeral service will be 12:00 noon, Tuesday, December 12, 2023, at the Taylor’s Chapel Primitive Baptist Church (3100 Stringfield Road NW, Huntsville, AL 35810) with Elder Timothy Rainey officiating. Interment will be in the Indian Creek Cemetery. Mother Lane will lie in repose one hour prior to funeral time.
Public viewing will be held from 1:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m., Monday, December 11, 2023, and 8:30 until 10:00 a.m., Tuesday, December 12, 2023, at the Royal Funeral Home.
