Robb Evan "Bobby" Higgins 1931-1946

HIGGINS, ROBB, CRIM

Posted By: Merllene Andre Bendixen (email)
Date: 11/2/2013 at 00:15:49

Polio Fatal to Bobby Higgins This Morning
Funeral Rites To Be Thursday
Robb (Bobby) Higgins, 15-year-old son of Mr. and Mrs. Evan Higgins, this morning became Estherville’s first poliomyelitis fatality. He died at 3:15 a.m. in St. Vincent hospital in Sioux City where he was taken Sunday morning suffering with the bulbar type of the disease. He was placed in an iron lung yesterday morning.

Bobby first became ill Monday evening after playing in the Estherville-Spencer B team football game. After returning to school on Thursday he became ill again and the illness was diagnosed Sunday as polio.

Bobby’s younger sister, Georgia, who has been ill with symptoms similar to her brother’s, was reported much better this morning. Her temperature was nearly normal all day yesterday.

A sophomore in high school, Bobby was vice-president of homeroom 109. He played quarterback on the B team this fall and led the team’s offense with his accurate passes. Local sport fans generally regarded Bobby’s ability as one of the highlights of the Estherville season and a great future was predicted for him on the Midget gridiron. Last winter he played a forward on Elmer Starr’s B team and was the second baseman on the first baseball team the high school has sponsored for several years. He was active in Hi-Y and was a class officer last year. For the past three years he had done part-time work at the Sidles and Edelen grocery.

Bobby was born in Estherville July 28, 1931, and had lived here all his life. He was a member of the Methodist church.

Survivors include his parents and sister, Georgia, grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. George Robb and Mr. and Mrs. Charles Higgins, and a great grandmother, Mrs. Eva Crim.

Funeral services will be held Thursday at 2 p.m. at the George Robb home and at 2:30 at the Methodist church, Rev. C.J. Semans officiating.

High school students will furnish music for the services and efforts are being made to secure some of Bobby’s high school friends as pallbearers. (Estherville Daily News, Estherville, IA, October 22, 1946)