William Higgins

William L. Higgins, PhD

HIGGINS, William Leon, PhD.  Husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather; raconteur, linguist, scholar, diplomat, teacher, farm hand and world traveler passed away October 28, 2013 at age 92 in Dayton, OH. Memorial services and Mass were held in November at Morton Whetstone Funeral Home and St. Christopher's Catholic Church in Vandalia OH. Burial was at Calvary Cemetery.

Will was born December 6, 1920 in Tampa FL, son of the late John and Lucille (Moran) Higgins. He is survived by 3 children (and their spouses): Michael W. (Mary Sue) Higgins of Vandalia, OH, Peggy Higgins of Greenbelt MD, and John W. Higgins (Mary Jane Niles) of San Francisco CA, 6 grandchildren, 3 great grandchildren and many friends and admirers. William is preceded in death by his wife Marian Blum Higgins; his parents; his half-brother, Knight Higgins; his son, Robert W. Higgins; and his sister, Dr. Rita Burnham Higgins. Marian and Will Higgins lived in Arlington, VA 41 years, from 1960 – 2001.

Will was an enthusiastic global traveler and storyteller. He worked on the Golden Gate International Exposition in 1939 on Treasure Island. During World War II he was stationed in the Amazon jungle as a translator and in Mozambique as vice-consul. He proposed to his wife Marian on their first date; they then spent a 7 year honeymoon in Brazil at the start of their 64 year married life. They were advocates for social justice and civil rights; Will participated in the 1963 March on Washington with Dr. ML King.

Dr. Higgins spoke eight languages; he worked for the US Navy's Defense Language Institute in Washington, DC and retired from the US Department of Education. Post retirement, he continued to build his library of stories with travels throughout Europe and Turkey (at the age of 75). His degrees were earned at St. Louis University (BA), University of Wisconsin (MA), and Georgetown University (PhD).

An avid life-long learner, Will was an early adopter of computer technology and enjoyed electronic gadgets.  He continued his exploration of the world in recent years through videos, learning and sharing stories about historical events as distant as the Peloponnesian War to the delight of his audiences of family and friends. 

Happy Birthday, Dad!