Roland Higgins

1938 - 2019

Higgins, Roland
Roland Eugene Higgins, age 80, passed away at 8:34 pm. on Wednesday, July 31, 2019 at St. Ann's Hospital. Roland was born on November 27, 1938, in Sunbury, Ohio, to Arthur Jay and Catherine (Davis) Higgins. He graduated from Hartford High School in 1956 and immediately began farming with his father and maintaining the Trenton Cemetery in Condit, Ohio. Following the death of his father in 1964, he maintained the operation of his father's farm and was able to expand production by increasing the milking cow herd and modernizing the facilities. During this time, Roland held many honors for which he served with pleasure. He was elected and served as a Trenton Township Trustee for twenty years; he served on the board of directors for Milk Marketing Incorporated (currently known as Dairy Farmers of America), in which he served as the first vice president; he served dairy farmers on the National Milk Producers Federation Board of Directors; and he served on the Mid East United Dairy Industry Association Board of Directors (currently known as American Dairy Association Mideast) serving as secretary/treasurer from 1983-1985. After dairy farming and a short-time of merchandising ice cream with Velvet Ice Cream and Smith Dairy, Roland transitioned into a successful and highly-respected real estate agent. He began his time in the real estate industry in 1988 as an agent with Wendell C. Davidson Realty and completed his career with Forman Realtors. Roland holds many honors in the "Million Dollar Club" in Delaware County as a representative of both buyers and sellers. He served on the Delaware County Board of Realtors for 11 years, holding positions as president, vice president, and chair of numerous committees. In 2000, Roland was elected Realtor of the Year. In his free time, you could find Roland on his John Deere tractor mowing his yard, at the horse races, visiting with friends at the Hartford Fair, and supporting his grandchildren and great-grandchildren at their many athletic and academic events. He charmed those he knew and loved with his humor and quick wit, especially when breaking into song. Roland is survived by his wife, Terri Higgins; sons, Rodney (Kathy) Higgins of Destin, FL, and Scott (Lisa) Higgins of Johnstown, OH; six grandchildren, Ty (Angela) Higgins, Brad (Nikki) Higgins, Kent Hirtzinger, Nicholas (Jessica) Higgins, Candace Higgins, Elisa (Taylor) Fuss, and Travis Higgins; six great-grandchildren, Paige Higgins, Calvin Higgins, Laney Higgins, William Higgins, Finn Higgins, Kalea Higgins, and another great-granddaughter on the way; two sisters and brothers-in-law, Juanita and Wendell Davidson and Carolyn and Allen Kenney; sister-in-law, Bonnie Higgins; several nieces and nephews; Terri's children, Marcy and Trent Hale, and their children. He is preceded in death by his father Arthur Higgins, his mother Catherine (Davis) Higgins, an infant sister Eileen Higgins, two brothers Richard and Roger Higgins, and sister and brother-in-law Naomi and Wayne Judy. A celebration of life service will be held 10 AM Tuesday, August 6, 2019 at DeVore-Snyder Funeral Home, 637 N. State Route 61, (at SR 3), Sunbury, Ohio. Pastor Bryan Grove will be officiating. Burial will follow at Trenton Cemetery in Condit, Ohio. Friends may call from 4-8PM Monday, August, 6, 2019, at the funeral home.