A smile spreads across Austin Sigg’s face as he displays a picture of his daughter on his phone. She’s in her car seat donning her famous Pebbles Flintstone hair-do, and wearing a pair of hot pink sunglasses. Sigg is the proud father of Elliot, who turns 2 on June 24.
Sigg, 27, grew up in Iola and graduated from Iola High School in 2005. He and his wife, Emily, are high school sweethearts. They’ve been together for 11 years now.
In November 2005 he made the decision to join the National Guard.
“My college football career didn’t work out so I decided to join because I needed a change,” he said.
Austin and Emily attended Kansas State University together. He was deployed to Tallil, Iraq, in 2008 and 2009. He is the supply sergeant at the 891st armory in Iola. Sigg has 17 more years in the Guard and enjoys what he does. Last year, Sigg finished his degree in food science and business operations.
The couple moved back to Iola in May 2011 and were married a few weeks later. Emily is the owner of Fifty 50, an apparel store on the south side of the Iola square. Moving back to the community they grew up in was something the Siggs always wanted to do.
“We wanted to raise our kids close to our family,” he said. “We live right next door to my dad.”
“My life changed drastically” when Elliot was born, he said. “I don’t even remember what it was like before her.”
Elliot is quite the daddy’s girl and he loves spending time with her. She’s into just about everything, he said.
“She’s not a real girly girl,” he said. “I’ll chase her around the yard and she’ll play in the dirt.”
His favorite time with her is when she sits in his lap and reads her books.
“It amazes me how she flips the pages the right direction and acts like she’s reading it,” he said.
As a father he wants his daughter to learn important life lessons.
“I want her to know how to do things on her own so she doesn’t have to rely on other people,” he said.
