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Sudden death of Navy vet leaves family scrambling
The family of Navy veteran Archie Lee Wiggins, who was killed in a house fire in Arcadia, is struggling to cope with his passing and working to raise money for a proper Navy burial. FOX 10's Kenzie Beach has the story.
PHOENIX - The sudden death of Navy vet, Archie Lee Wiggins has taken a toll on his family.
One thing Lee was adamant about was having a proper Navy burial and that’s what his niece Carly wants to give him.
"He was a very caring person who would help anybody," she said. "In the end, he lost his life trying to do that."
Carlie Hamon is the niece of Archie Lee Wiggins. Her family learned of his passing from the other side of the country.
What they're saying:
To his niece, he was Uncle Lee.
"My Uncle Lee, he could be a little stern. A lot of that was his Navy background. He was a loving guy and showed it a lot with his actions," Hamon said.
Wiggins served in the U.S. Navy for eight years then went on to work for the Department of Justice.
A servants heart until his last day, the 61-year-old veteran was able to save his girlfriend and one of their dogs as the back side of their Arcadia home was covered in flames.
"Unfortunately, he didn't realize the dog went out the doggie door so he ended up not making it out," said Hamon.
Rushing in to save their Yorky, Uncle Lee never came out.
READ MORE: Man dies after being pulled from Arcadia house fire
"They did tell us that he wasn't recognizable. So we did have to provide, you know, identifying features." said Hamon.
What we know:
Wiggins leaves behind a big family in Kentucky and they are doing everything they can to bring him home and give him a proper military burial.
"He's always been pretty adamant about that," Hamon said. "He's just really proud to serve his country and that's just something he's always wanted."
Wiggins, did not have life insurance, so the family is raising money to bring him back to the family plot in Kentucky.
To help Lee's family, donations to their GoFundMe page can be found here.