Diane (Breen) Higgins (2023)

BREEN, HIGGINS

Posted By: Pat Hochstetler
Date: 9/11/2024 at 08:42:22

Caldwell Parrish Funeral Home
Winterset, Iowa
March 2023

6-23-48 to 3-13-23. A beginning and an end. But it’s what happens in between those two dates that matter most. My mom grew up as an Air Force brat, living around the world. Places that would be familiar to the rest of us, like Lincoln, Nebraska, upstate New York, Savannah, Georgia. To more exotic places, such as Newfoundland Canada and Germany twice. She was the oldest of eight children, but what do you expect from an Irish Catholic family. She was never lonely, that’s for sure.

On the second move to Germany, she met my dad who was also in the Air Force, fell in love, got married – twice – and then left Germany with her new husband. The newlyweds went to Sioux City, Iowa after separating from the Air Force. It was a year later that she became a mom for the first time, to twin girls. She loved being a mom. She told me at one time that she had always wanted to be a mom. She certainly got enough practice with her siblings.

Once my sisters were born they were a family on the move landing in Ocala, Florida where she learned to sew from her neighbor. It was a lifelong pleasure of hers, she was pretty crafty and passed that joy on to her girls. They moved to Georgia in the early 70’s where eventually I was born. With her family complete, she was happy to be our mom.

But with all things, life happens, and things change. She went to work at several places, but ended up in a job at an Atlanta law firm. She didn’t miss a game, a performance or a chance to make our Halloween costumes. She taught us that we could do anything, and now we have to learn to survive without her. She made us strong, capable, loving humans. I hope we continue to make her proud.

If she loved being a mom, she was ecstatic to be a grandmother, and loved her grandson with everything she had. She was fantastic at it! In 1998 she left Georgia and moved to Virginia to help take care of her mother. She got to be a daughter, mother and grandmother all at the same time. She did it all with grace and love.

It was then her marriage ended, but was able to still be friends with my dad. A gift to be sure. In 2013 her heart became heavy as we lost my son. We moved from Virginia to Indianola, Iowa, and then just about 18 months ago moved to Winterset.

Her death is really the least interesting thing about her.

She is survived by her daughters, Kathy, Kristy and Tracy Higgins. Six of her siblings Jack, Richard, Kerry, Dennis, Patrick and Kristy.

She was preceded in death by her loving parents, Jack and Gloria Breen, a brother Kevin and her grandson Mack.