Stuart Eldon Higgs

He was born October 18, 1928, in Havana, Illinois, the son of John Orville and Elizabeth Irene (nee Graham) Higgs. He remained in Havana his entire childhood, graduating from Havana Community High School in May 1946. From there he enlisted in the US Army Air Corps and was honorably discharged in August 1949.

He attended the University of Illinois in Urbana, Illinois and graduated with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Electrical Engineering in 1955. He then went to work for the Delco Products Division of General Motors in Dayton, Ohio. A few months later he attended a YMCA dance and was smitten with the beautiful woman taking tickets. After a whirlwind courtship that lasted only weeks, he married Helen (nee Tarkany) and they were together for 57 years.

In 1979 while living in Pierre, South Dakota, he officially joined the Roman Catholic Church, and he and Helen had their marriage Convalidated.

He enjoyed a diversified electrical engineering career in several mid-western cities before going to work at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard (PSNS) in Bremerton, Washington. Stuart retired from PSNS in July 1999 and spent his retirement years in the Bremerton area.

Stuart was a simple man, who liked his time alone. He enjoyed ham radios, reading, and watching mysteries and British crime dramas. He was a past president of his local NARFE chapter as well as Commodore of the Sinclair Inlet Yacht Club back when he still had his boats, Ilona and Camme. He was proud to have obtained his PE (Professional Engineering designation) and the man loved to crack jokes - continuing to do so right until the end. His caregivers said he was the sweetest man and that he never complained.

He was deeply loved and will be sorely missed by his family and friends.

He is survived by his son Michael (Diana) of Alaska, daughters Cecilia (Patrick) Milos of Poulsbo, Ann (Nick) Milos of Bremerton, M. Jane (Blache) Teller of Poulsbo, Mary (Bill) Bialozor of Spokane, and Betsy (Chris) Cooley of Quinlan, TX., 19 grandchildren, 16 great-grandchildren, 5 great-great-grandchildren, his sister Jean Weisling of Wisconsin, and many dear cousins. He was preceded in death by his parents, infant twin brothers John and Robert, his dearly beloved wife Helen, his sons Patrick and David Sr., grandson David Jr., and his sister Joetta Ogee.

A funeral Mass will be held on Friday, June 6, 2025, at 11:00 am, at Our Lady Star of the Sea Catholic Church in Bremerton, preceded by a viewing and a rosary at 10:30 am. A light lunch/reception will follow the service. He will be interred at Mt. Tahoma National Cemetery the week following the Mass.