Longtime islander relocates
Imelda Antoni “Toni” Logan Piggott has lived on Matlacha Island for nearly 20 years. On Friday, Sept. 16, because of health reasons, she left Southwest Florida to live with her daughter’s family in Englewood, New Jersey.
Imelda Antoni Logan was born in Decatur, Illinois, to a wealthy family that owned the largest funeral business in the state.
“My mother’s family had money,” Piggott said. “When I was 6 years old, my mother separated from my father and brought us to Hot Springs, Arkansas. Then when I was 12 years old, I went to Ursuline Convent School in New Orleans where I spent the next 7 years. They had us at the chapel from 5 a.m. until 8 a.m. praying. It wasn’t for me.
“The one good thing about being in New Orleans was that I would escape from the convent school to go down to the French Quarter to listen to the music,” Piggott said. “I met Keely Smith, Louis Prima and Louis Armstrong let me ride on his float in the Mardi Gras Parade.
“As a child of money, I had horses, I became Miss Rodeo Queen and I fell in love with the stable boy,” Piggott continued. “This was big news when we were married. We had four children but unfortunately we were divorced shortly after our fourth child. Me and the four children moved closer to family in Lakewood, Colorado. Things were going well, I was singing in night clubs, working at the hospital and going to school. From there we all went to Boston.”
Piggott was directing a 30-child youth program in Boston when she received a call from her ex-husband.
“My ex-husband, Mr. Piggott, discovered Matlacha first and he called me and said ‘Kid, this is your kind of place – art, music, children, everything you love you’ll find right here. So I came down 20 years ago and fell in love with Matlacha. This has been heaven for me for the last 20 years.
“I lost my youngest child to drugs, that’s suicide and she knew it,” Piggott went on to say. “It’s hard to grieve for someone that does that to themselves. You become angry. She was so smart and knew better and she shouldn’t have done that to herself.’
She fondly recalls the “old” Matlacha she found two decades ago.
“When I got here almost 20 years ago, Matlacha was just starting to become what it is today,” Piggott said. “Nancy Goodwin worked in the little store, Gillian’s Convenience Store in Matlacha, and she introduced me to the Matlacha Hookers.”
Goodwin and several other women started the Matlacha Hookers almost 20 years ago.
“It was 1997 when we got together for the first time and the following year, 1998, that we formally organized the Matlacha Hookers,” Goodwin said. “We’ve had over 1000 members since then.
“This group of warrior-women were going to do everything on the island,” Piggott said. They were going to save everybody, take care of the elderly, help the children. I knew right away these were my kind of people so I joined them.
“When I was in Boston, I was the children’s coordinator for Harvard School of Public Health and HUD,” Piggott said. “We had an after school program for 30 children. A wonderful experience. That’s what brought me to the Art Department at Pine Island Elementary. I was helping with art classes at the school when the board of education cancelled the art and music classes. The Hookers came to the rescue and set up an art program and the Matlacha Mariners set up a music program. I loved working with the children with the Hookers.”
It wasn’t until recently that she decided to leave the island.
“About a week ago, on Aug. 4, I had a fall that resulted in a fracture,” Piggott said. “My children have been asking me to come live with them in New Jersey for years and I resisted. Then a couple of weeks ago I received a letter from my landlord that my lease would not be renewed. That was the final straw and I decided it’s time. I don’t want to wait until I can’t take care of myself.”
The Beacon of H.O.P.E. became aware of Piggott’s fall when they delivered a meal as part of their Meals-On-Wheels program.
“The Beacon delivers a hot meal to my house every day,” Piggott said. “They also deliver a hug and a ‘How are ya.’ They also check the house to be sure everything is OK. When they became aware of my eviction, well, they’ve been wonderful. The Beacon is helping me relocate to live with my daughter in Englewood, New Jersey.”
“We’re family on Pine Island,” Nancy Goodwin said. “Whenever there’s a need, Pine Islanders are there. Toni has given so much for so long we’re going to miss her energy.”
“I’m thankful I found Matlacha,” Piggott said. “It’s where I’ve always belonged. I’m starting the next phase of my life in Englewood. I am rich in friends, rich in memories and all the good things that have happened here. I wish all my Hooker friends the best. I would hope they just continue and bring some young people in to keep it going.”