Winston "Honey" Higgins

Winston Higgins

Winston Higgins "Honey" went home to be with the Lord on Monday, May 10, 2010, at Martha Jefferson Hospital after a brief illness of Fibrosis of the Lungs.

Mr. Higgins was born in Erwin, Tennessee, on April 21, 1933, to the late James L. and Lula Foster Higgins. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by a sister, Lois Higgins.

He is survived by his wife of 55 years, Virginia Ann Wharam Higgins; four children, Ina Diane and her husband, James L. Baird of Scottsville, David Neal and his wife, Jan, of Brandon, Mississippi, Alan Wade and his partner, Dr. Matthew Bassignani, of Keswick and Lisa Justine and her husband, Shawn Denby, of Scottsville.

Mr. Higgins has seven grandchildren who he dearly loved, Brian Wade and his wife, Miranda, Brandon Neal Baird, and his wife, Stephanie, Dustin Matthew Denby and his wife, Lindsey, Melissa Ann Denby and her partner, Daniel Theurich, Jenny Marie Higgins, Bo Wright and Justin and Tiffany Saylor; three great-grandchildren, Tyler and Bryson Baird and Ashley Smith, and one great-grandchild due in November.

Winston has two surviving brothers, his twin brother, Cecil, of Scottsville, and James L. Higgins Jr. and his wife, Phyllis, of Charlottesville. He is also survived by three sisters, Louise Lennon and her partner, Kenneth Wharam, of Cape Coral, Florida, Cathy and her husband, Paul Gillispie, and Ina Christine and her husband, Dan Wilson, both from Scottsville; and many nieces and nephews as well as brothers and sisters-in-law that love him very much. He also had two special four-legged companions, Maggie and Heidi.

Mr. Higgins was a member of the Scottsville Independent Baptist Church. He helped build the church and served as a Deacon.

He was a man of very few words. He was a hard-working man who worshipped his wife and family. They always came first in his life. Winston worked at the Uniroyal Plant in Scottsville as a mechanic and supervisor for 35 years and a Security Guard at Monticello for 15 years.

Funeral services will be held 2 p.m. Thursday, May 13, 2010, at the Scottsville Independent Baptist Church at 181 Shores Road, Palmyra (Route 640 near Cunningham Elementary School), followed by interment at the Scottsville Cemetery. Friends and family are invited to the Scottsville Fire House after the service for food and refreshments.

The family will receive friends from 7 until 8 p.m. Wednesday, May 12, 2010, at the Thacker Brothers Funeral Home in Scottsville.

The family would like to express their deepest appreciation for the doctors, nurses, and staff of the 6th floor at the Martha Jefferson Hospital for all their hard work, love, and compassion, Tammy, Alan, Armondo and Mandy. The family would also like to thank Dr. Alex Schult, Dr. Tim Short and Dr. David Chesler from Martha Jefferson Hospital and Dr. Matthew Goodman, Dr. John Dent, and Dr. George Verghese of the University of Virginia Medical Center for working with our Dad to help him with such a powerful disease.

"We love you Daddy, You are the best Daddy we could have ever hoped for."

Memorial contributions may be sent to the Scottsville Independent Baptist Church Building Fund or to the American Lung Association, 1301 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest, Suite 800, Washington, D.C. 20004.

Friends and family may share memories at www.thackerbrothers.com.


This obituary was originally published in the Daily Progress.