James Edwin Higgs (1928-2011)

HIGGS, DEGRIO, DEAN, NABITY, BAKER, HANDLEY, KORN, PEARSON, THOMAS, BROWN, BEESON, DUELAND

Posted By: Mark Christian
Date: 8/19/2012 at 09:57:04

From The Des Moines Register obituaries, Des Moines, Polk County, Iowa:

James (Jim) Edwin Higgs, 82 died Sunday, February 20, 2011, at Mercy Hospice in Johnston. Memorial services will take place at 2 p.m., at the Memorial Lutheran Church in Nevada, Iowa, on Saturday, February 26, 2011. Visitation will be one hour prior to the service. Burial of cremated remains will immediately follow the memorial service at the Nevada Municipal Cemetery.

Jim was born March 26, 1928, to Wayne and Alice Higgs in Maxwell, Iowa. Jim was a high school football player, loved traveling, camping and was an Iowa Hawkeye fan. He especially enjoyed his fishing trips he took to Canada. After Jim's retirement, he and his wife spent six weeks traveling throughout Alaska in their motor home.

Jim spent many years as an active member and chief of the volunteer fire departments in Truesdale, Hubbard, and Beaver, Iowa. While living in Beaver, Iowa, Jim was a manager for the Quaker Oats Company. He then held the position of general manager of the Farmers Coop in Radcliffe, Iowa. Jim also spent a year as a consultant for Farmland Industries then returned to being the general manager at the Farmers Coops in Mitchellville, Colo and Mt. Pleasant, Iowa, before managing the Farmers Coop of Waukee-Redfield-Winterset prior to his retirement. Jim also served several years on the Farmland Industries board of directors and a board member of the Omaha Bank of Cooperatives.

He is survived by his children, Craig Higgs of Des Moines, Becky Higgs (Thomas) DeGrio of Grass Valley, CA, Michael (Susan) Higgs of Slater, Tracie (Kim) Dean of Mesa, AZ; grandchildren, Toby Higgs, Tamara Nabity, Terah Baker, Sasha Handley, Hannah Korn, Jennifer Pearson, Ashley and Stephanie Higgs, Matthew Thomas, Mallory Brown and Jordan Dean; great-grandchildren, Grant and Abby Higgs, Gabrielle and McKenzie Nabity, Rachael and Meghan Baker, Aubrie Beeson, Aidan and Graysan Brown; brother, Harold Higgs and sister, Janet Thomas.

Jim was preceded in death by his wife of 65 years, Lois; parents, Wayne and Alice; brothers, Don and Marion and sister Bernadine Dueland.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial contributions be directed to Mercy Hospice in Johnston.