James “Jim” Higdon: Austin American Statesman
On November 13, 2009, James Walter Higdon was taken home by his Lord to rest in peace. At the time of his death, Jim had been with us 88 years, 61 of which he had been married to his beloved wife Marcie.
Jim is survived by his wife Marcie; his sons John and wife Kathleen (Austin, TX), Jim and wife Jeanne (The Woodlands, TX), Joe and wife Linda (Austin, TX), Dan and wife Sandra (The Woodlands, TX), Chuck and wife Caryn (Austin, TX) and Mike and wife Lisa (Concord, CA). He is also survived by his 17 grandchildren, Meghan (St. Louis, MO), Forrest and his wife Michelle (Austin, TX), Ryan (Austin, TX), Jimmy (St. Louis, MO), Adam (Austin, TX), Zachary (Columbia, MO), Andrew (Austin, TX), Jacob (Austin, TX), Amanda (The Woodlands, TX), Mary Kate (The Woodlands, TX), Gabriel (Austin, TX), Stephen (Concord, CA), Christina (Austin, TX), Shannon (Austin, TX), Mary Marceline (Concord, CA), Samantha (Austin, TX) and Charlie (Austin, TX). Jim was born to James Benjamin Higdon and Eunice Lush on June 21, 1921 in Clarkson, Kentucky and graduated from Clarkson High School in 1940. Jim entered the Armed Forces in 1943 and was assigned to the 20th Air Force in early 1944, where he served in the 83rd Bomb group on Guam as part of the ground crew until the end of the war. Jim said that the most memorable part of the war, for him, was when he was given the opportunity to be on board a B29 as it flew over Tokyo bay and the USS Missouri as the formal surrender of Japan was signed by the Japanese.
In peacetime, Jim worked from 1951 to 1987 for American Mutual Liberty Insurance Company in Louisville, Kentucky and St. Louis, Missouri as a Loss Control Engineer. Jim was a lifetime member of the American Society of Safety Engineers and served as President of the St. Louis Chapter from 1977-1978. He retired in 1987 and moved to Austin in 1989, where he and his wife continued to do volunteer work, including 15 years with Caritas of Austin. Jim and his wife also loved to travel. They, along with their boys, traveled the lower 48, and with Marcie, Jim managed to add most of the European countries, Russia, and China to the list of places he had visited.
Another of Jim's joys was working outdoors. The up bringing Jim
experienced on the farm never left him. He loved working with his hands
and continued throughout his life to plant and nurture all types of
plants. In September of 2009 he earned yard of the month in his
community.
Above it all, Jim said that he and Marcie's greatest joy in his life
has been watching their six sons and six daughters-in-law (all still
married) excel in this life and provide him and his wife with seventeen
loving grandchildren, whom they loved to spoil.
A Funeral Mass was held November 16, 2009 at St. Thomas More Catholic
Church, Austin, Texas. Interment followed at Austin Memorial Park
Cemetery.
Please join our family in celebrating Jim's life by visiting our
memorial at www.mem.com.
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