Sydney Commodore Miggins, 92, joined his ancestors’ home in Plano, Texas on March 9, 2021 after a brief illness. He was surrounded by his son, daughter-in-law and four grandchildren.
Sydney was born on September 2, 1928 in Den Amstel on the west coast of Demerara in Guyana, South America, to Edmund and Lucy Riley Miggins. He was the eighth of eleven children. He completed his primary education at the Ebenezer Congregational Primary School in the village of Den Amstel. In 1944 he began an apprenticeship program at Leonara Sugar Estate as a boat builder, where he was involved in building ships that transport sugar cane to factories.
In 1951 he emigrated to the USA with the farm work program as a sugar cane harvester with the Florida Sugar Producers Association and returned to Guyana in 1955. On his return to Guyana, he got a job as a boat builder at the McDoom Wharf Company, where he stayed until he returned to the United States in 1958 “Sweat Shop” For years Sydney picked and sorted tobacco for the Imperial & Shades Company in Connecticut. He later moved to New York in 1961 and worked for Lomart Pools as an assembly line worker in Brooklyn, New York. He then worked for General Electric as a coil worker in New Jersey in 1963 and as a railroad car inspector for the Transit Authority in the Bronx, New York, in 1970 until his retirement in 1991. During his retirement years, he lived in Lehigh Acres, Florida and Plano, Texas .
He was an avid reader and usually read the local newspaper. He also loved discussing geography, politics, history, and boxing with friends.
He thought of gardening every waking moment. Sydney called itself a “Addicted to the soil.” His harvest produced tomatoes, cucumbers, and other vegetables that he often shared with family and friends in the neighborhood. He was also a sharp dresser and liked to wear tailored suits and fedora hats.
During his stay in New York in the spring of 1962, he met the love of his life, Margaret Sweeney, on a blind date. On August 4, 1962, he married Margaret after six months of dating. A child emerged from this union, Reginald C. Miggins.
Mr. Sydney Miggins is survived by his two sons Julius “Tony” Wright Jr. of the Bronx, New York, and Reginald C. Miggins of Plano, Texas, his daughter-in-law Barbara Morgan-Miggins and his four grandchildren: Celina Angelina E. Miggins, Christina Edwina M. Miggins, Celistina Regina B. Miggins, and Reginald James Sydney-Gus Miggins II. He is still survived by many cousins, nieces, nephews and countless friends. He also leaves surrogate sons and daughters who considered him a second father. Before him, his parents Lucy and Edmund Miggins and his ten siblings Thomas, Maude, James, Hubert, John, Edwin, Stella, Lucy, Walter and Swinton died.
His family has asked for a donation to be made to the Centennial Elementary School PTA, 2609 Ventura Drive, Plano TX 75093, in lieu of flowers.
He always liked to say: “Let progress, progress” and reminded us of it “Education” is important for success.
The full obituary and online condolences are available at www.meritmemorial.com.
Comments are closed.