He would always do his best.
And local farmers loved him for it.
Remus Rigg Jr., a longtime Branch County Farm Bureau member and the 1990 Michigan State University (MSU) Dairy Farmer of the Year, died Jan. 27, 2026, at The Branches & Meadows Assisted Living in Coldwater. He was 91.
Born on Dec. 18, 1934, in Tekonsha to Mahlon R. Rigg and Marion (Hill) (Rigg) Connelly, Remus graduated from Coldwater High School in 1953 and later completed an ag tech short course at MSU.
In 1954, he married Ruth Fenner, and, according to his local obituary, they “not only built a successful dairy farm, but a life grounded in hard work, faith and devotion to family.”
He epitomized hard work, said Glenn Preston, a Branch County Farm Bureau member.
“Everything he ever did, he did his best,” added Preston of Preston Farms in Quincy.
What he did was become a well-respected leader in Michigan dairy’s industry, say ag leaders, including serving on Michigan Milk Producer Association’s Board of Directors from 1985-2000 — 14 of those years as the Board’s vice president — and as president of the Branch County Farm Bureau from 1967-71.
Remus also held leadership roles with the United Dairy Industry of Michigan, National Milk Producers Federation, and the United Dairy Industry Association. In 1990, MSU’s Department of Animal Science awarded him the Dairy Farmer of the Year. Two decades later, Branch County Farm Bureau gave Remus its first-ever Distinguished Service to Agriculture Award.
Remus always believed in showing up and working hard, said Doug Bloom, a Branch County Farm Bureau board member and operator of Bloom Dairy Inc. in Coldwater.
Bloom only lived a mile or so from Remus, a man who was “very quick to make a decision,” he said.
“He always talked about high-speed farming, and he just had a knack for really making up his mind and moving forward, which I think served him well in his business,” Bloom told Michigan Farm News.
“I was always amazed that he could serve on the board of Michigan Milk and … milk, you know, a couple hundred cows, or maybe more. And he got away a lot. And at that time, that was pretty unusual for people to be able to manage a successful dairy and then still be able to work away from that.”
Preceding Remus in death was his wife, Ruth; son, Steven M. Rigg; daughter, Catherine Harari; and brother, Bruce Rigg.
In 2010, Remus married Donna (Bodie) McLaughlin. According to a statement, they enjoyed traveling and sharing adventures.
Remus is survived by Donna; his daughter Lisa (Orville D.) Huff; his son-in-law Steven L. Harari; his grandchildren Kyle (Dawn) Huff, Stacey (Aaron) Ginsburg, Alaina (Dustin) Poe, Thomas R. Harari, John R. Harari; and his great-grandchildren Grace Huff, Christian Huff, Annabell Huff, Genevieve and Anastasia Brigman, Logan Poe, Oliver Poe, and Rylee Poe.
He is also survived by Donna’s children Vicki Owens, Ed (Lisa) McLaughlin, Maggie (Greg Zirzow) Hartzler, Maralee (Jimmie) Ford; her grandson Bryan (Nicole) Eckert; as well as many other McLaughlin grandchildren.
Learn more about Remus Rigg here.
On Jan. 30, the family held a service at the First Baptist Church in Coldwater.
They asked attendees to wear green-and-white clothes; colors Remus cared deeply about.
“Anyone who knew Remus, knew he was a deep-rooted Spartan,” Sheila Burkhardt, chief corporate affairs officer for MMPA, wrote in an email to Michigan Farm News.
“When he was recognized as an Honoree in the Michigan Dairy Memorial Scholarship Foundation in 1999, it was noted that if cows came in green and white, Remus would own a whole herd of them simply because they represented two things he enjoyed dedicating his time to: the dairy industry and MSU.”