Harry Edwin Riggin Jr., real estate titan
Harry Edwin Riggin Jr. “Eddie,” of Newark and Rehoboth Beach passed away peacefully Saturday, Nov. 11, 2023, after a courageous 13-year battle with Frontotemporal Degeneration/Primary Progressive Aphasia. He was 68 years old.
Eddie was born Sept. 19, 1955, into a Marine Corps family living at Camp LeJeune during a hurricane in Jacksonville, N.C. He was brought into this world to live life with purpose, and he did so with great passion and enthusiasm!
Raised in Laurel, Eddie attended Laurel High School where he excelled academically and in sports. After graduating from Catawba College, Salisbury, N.C., he enjoyed a career in restaurant management, where he perfected the outstanding people skills that catapulted him into an exceptionally successful 35-year real estate career.
Eddie was a true titan of the real estate industry. He established a reputation for integrity, honesty, competence, professionalism and always doing the right thing. He amassed a database of over 14,000 clients and kept in touch with all of them long after they purchased or sold their homes. He always remembered to call them on their birthdays and anniversaries. He believed in a level of old-school, personalized service that is rarely seen in business today.
Eddie was truly one of the best in his field, and a great son, sibling, husband and father. He loved and lived for his family, put others first and always gave back to his community. His personal time was spent traveling the world with his wife and best friend, Nancy, golfing, fishing, biking and charming people of all walks of life with his humor and kindness.
It has been said that excellence is the best ink with which to leave your mark in the world. Eddie was excellence personified. He left an indelible mark on every life he touched, and he will be missed beyond what words can describe. Eddie’s life was a blessing and his memory a treasure.
Eddie is survived by his loving and devoted wife of 34 years, Nancy Riggin; his stepson Jamie Niergarth (Danielle Hopko); his granddaughter Keegan Clover Niergarth; his mother June Lapetina Riggin (Don Hearn) and father Ed Riggin Sr. (Sarah Botte); his siblings Deb Murray (Jim), Lyle Riggin (Patrice) and Beth Dorman; his sisters-in-law Carole Howell (Pete), Linda Maier (Walter), Susan Prettyman (Bondy Long) and Sally Bachman (Kenny Starrett); and many wonderful nieces, nephews, great-nieces and great-nephews.
A remembrance mass will be held at 11 a.m., Friday, Dec. 1, at St. Edmond Catholic Church, 409 King Charles Ave., Rehoboth Beach, immediately followed by a celebration of his incredible life at Rehoboth Beach Country Club, 221 West Side Drive, Rehoboth Beach.
Memorial donations can be made to The Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration at 2700 Horizon Drive, Suite 120, King of Prussia, PA 19406 or online at theaftd.org in memory of Eddie Riggin.
