Gerald (“Jerry”) George Higgins passed away on March 28, 2024 at Saint Joseph’s Hospital, Kansas City, Missouri with family by his side. He was 90 years old.
Jerry was born March 16, 1934 in Solomon, Kansas. He was the middle of three children of Earl (“Bunny”) K. Higgins and Ethel M. (Burt) Higgins and graduated from Solomon High in 1952. Jerry grew up in the Great Depression era during which his family persevered through difficult times by growing their own food. Bunny worked many jobs while Ethel managed the budget, often buying groceries on credit.
Jerry liked to tell stories of life in Solomon’s small town “Norman Rockwell”-like setting. One Christmas during World War II when Jerry and older brother Robert (“Bob”) were in grade school, the extended family had gathered to celebrate in their small home with no indoor plumbing, not having much in the way of material things, but rich in spirit and faith. Suddenly, an uncle rushed in from the front of the house saying Santa Claus had delivered a present for the boys, who jumped up and ran outside to find an old but newly painted bicycle. Thrilled by the gift, they rode off together with Bob peddling and Jerry sitting in Bob’s lap.
Jerry worked his way through college, without the aid of student loans which were not available at the time. He had many different jobs including construction, chicken egg hatchery, farming, janitoring, bread making, Army Corp of Engineers in Nebraska, and as an electrician. He attended Kansas Wesleyan University, Fort Hays State University, and Kansas State University (twice) before graduating from KSU with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Industrial Engineering in 1959.
Jerry met the love of his life, the late Ruth M. Ramsey (Salina, Kansas) while attending Kansas Wesleyan and the two were married at Sacred Heart Cathedral in Salina, Kansas on February 13. 1960. They were blessed with three children – Marc Stephen, Matthew Allen, and Maria Ann. The couple settled in the Kansas City area and lived in Leawood, Kansas for 52 years and have been Cure’ of Ars parishioners for more than 60 years.
Jerry enjoyed working as an engineer at Western Electric/Southwestern Bell/AT&T for 30 years in Lee’s Summit, Missouri. He worked on manufacturing electrical components including transistors and then later on the development of computer microchips. Also during this time, Jerry served six years in the Army National Guard and Reserve at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. He retired from AT&T in 1989 as a Senior Engineer. In his retirement he worked five years as a seasonal Internal Revenue Service claims processor before retiring fully in 1994.
Jerry had a sharp mind, wit, and loved to laugh and share stories. He amazed us with his ability to remember specific details in his stories as well as names and dates. He had many hobbies over the course of his lifetime including jogging and winemaking. He loved to read history and biographies. He often did heavy research before making any major purchase, scouring Consumer Reports. He was able to fix just about anything and was a master with Gorilla Glue. He always had good advice to pass along. He was a lifetime learner, mastering the internet, emails, and ordering lots of things off Amazon in his later years! He was very independent. He prepared his own tax returns up until this year and had just renewed his driver’s license a day prior to his 90th birthday. He loyally followed the Chiefs, Royals and K-State sports and loved watching or listen to the games, especially with kids or grandkids. He returned many years to the annual Solomon alumni banquet and valued his friendships with old friends as well as coworkers. He loved nature and enjoyed hearing the birds and watching them feeding at the birdfeeder. He loved working in the yard, taking care of his plants and flowers.
Jerry dearly loved his grandchildren, Finnian, Gabrielle, and Quinn. Jerry and Ruth spent many happy hours in their retirement years helping their children and attending the activities of the grandchildren including many sporting events and band concerts. They had a passion for traveling with family to places such as Arizona, Bermuda, California, Hawaii, Mexico, and Texas.
Jerry is survived by children Matthew (Stacy) Higgins, Prairie Village, Kansas; Maria Higgins, Fairway, Kansas; grandchildren, Finnian, Gabrielle, and Quinn Higgins. Jerry was preceded in death by his parents Bunny and Ethel Higgins, brothers Bob and Donald, wife Ruth and son Marc Stephen Higgins.
Jerry will be greatly missed by his family and friends.
A Rosary will be held at Cure’ of Ars Catholic Church, 9401 Mission Road, Leawood, Kansas, Friday at 4:00pm and a Funeral Mass will follow at 4:30 pm. The family will receive guests for reception and visitation after Mass.
The Rite of Committal and burial will be at Mount Calvary Cemetery, 2078 E Iron Ave., Salina, Kansas, Saturday 1:00pm. The service will be love-streamed with the link available at 4:30
The family requests In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Cure’ of Ars Adoration Chapel renovation project.
A beautiful tribute to a great man. Our dad was Jerry’s brother, cut from the same cloth. So we know what a loss his passing is, and what a legacy of strength, humor, honor and truth he leaves. We will miss Uncle Jerry. Let the river run cousins 🫶🏼 Keep on doing your folks proud. mike
He was Uncle Jerry to me. I fondly remember him sitting on the front stoop and teaching me to tell time on a plastic toy clock. I must have been about 5yr old. I ran inside delighted I knew something no one else knew!
He and my Dad (his brother) were adorable together. I admire the wonderful relationship they shared for over 80 years.
I know they sitting and laughing with the rest of the family for eternity.
He set the bar high. Setting a great example for the rest of us to live up to.
We sure enjoyed getting to know Jerry and Ruth through church. He was definitely witty when we would talk to him, and usually always made us laugh about something. He and my husband kept up with K-State sports discussions almost weekly. It was so touching watching him take care of Ruth as she aged, and he was always delighted to introduce us to his grandchildren when they were at church with him. We will miss sitting by him each week!
Our deepest sympathies to Maria, Matthew, Stacy, Finnian, Gabrielle, and Quinn, especially so soon after Ruth’s passing.
We had the pleasure of meeting Jerry a couple of times, and we will always remember him as a kind and genuinely inquisitive person.
I fondly recall, on a visit to Bermuda, when he asked several questions about Bermuda’s vernacular architecture, rainwater roof catchments, and a new sprayed concrete technique that was being used on a residential project. It made me so happy to be able to show pictures and talk about my work with someone who was sincerely interested in understanding every aspect of it. I could see an engineer’s mind at work.
Imagine my surprise, 2 decades later, when Maria discovered that Jerry had kept the photos of the Bermuda projects. It was so touching to see the images again when Maria sent them to me. He had kept them all these years.
He was also a very patient man as is evident when he asked Cueva to explain the sport of cricket to him. Maria recently reminded us of the story which she said he still talked about. It was meaningful to Cueva, because growing up in London, cricket was an important sport to him. Not to mention its historical significance in Bermuda as well. But it’s always a challenge to find a North American who is willing to understand the game. Jerry, on the other hand, listened and asked questions demonstrating a curiosity and comprehension for England’s 475-year-old national sport.
We will always remember Jerry Higgins as a truly, lovely man.
Vanessa and Cueva
(Bermuda)