Charles Woodrow Higgins

Charlie was born in Burnsville, North Carolina on August 5, 1924, to Roxie (Haney) and Charles Grover Higgins. While he was still an infant the family moved to Kentucky, where he grew up in a succession of coal mining company towns. The oldest of 9 children of a miner who worked a night shift in the mines and farmed all day, Charlie was called upon to carry great responsibility from a very early age, and was largely responsible for raising his siblings. The depression hit the Appalachian Mountains hard, and the struggle for survival prevented him from starting school until he was 12 years old. But his keen intelligence was soon discovered and he made rapid progress, often finishing first in his class.

In 1942, at age 18, Charlie was drafted out of the 9th grade into the US Army to serve in WWII. His high test scores led him into technical training as a tank mechanic, and a promotion to Tech Corporal. He served 5 weeks in England hauling tanks for the invasion, and landed at Normandy when the front had moved ten miles inland. He spent the rest of the war as the mechanic on a heavy armored tank transporter for Patton's 3rd Army, delivering tanks, fuel, cannon barrels, and pontoon boats to the front, and retrieving and repairing battle damaged tanks. This duty made him among the most widely traveled soldiers of the war, covering all of France, Belgium, Luxumbourg, and Germany. He serviced armored units during the Battle of the Bulge (at one point crossing beneath a cannon duel between American and German gunners), delivered pontoon boats for the crossing of the Rhine into Germany, and was nearly hit in a French village by the last salvo of the giant German railway cannons ever fired. After the war ended he retrieved and consolidated war machinery into a regional staging area in the Nuremburg stadium, and was stationed there at the time of the war trials.

Returning home to Kentucky for the Christmas holidays, he went to visit his uncle, where a pretty young lady named Eva "Evie" Burke was helping out for the day. Dad watched her for a while, then turned to his uncle and said "I'm going to marry that women." They eloped less than two weeks later, and were married until his passing, five children and 70 years later.

Charlie remained in the Army for another 3 years, stationed in Aberdeen, Maryland, where he was the driver on the first crew formed to operate a double-ended transporter designed to carry the atomic cannon. He was especially proud that he served at a massive victory celebration on the US Capitol grounds a year after the war ended, driving a jeep in a recurring humorous skit.

Charlie knocked around in Kentucky after his active duty ended, working as a coal miner with his father for 1 1/2 years, then running a store and pool hall. In 1951 he moved his family, now with two daughters, Lieba and Janice, to Indiana to find better opportunities. When the Korean War started he took a job at Camp Atterbury, IN, as mechanic preparing old WWII tanks for new service in Korea. In 1956 he moved his family, now with another daughter, Kathy, and a son, Ken, to northern IN to work for the USAF as a specialized mechanic at the new SAC bomber base, Bunker Hill. He also studied electronics repair, and for 10 years ran his own TV/radio repair shop in Walton, IN in his spare time. Their fifth and final child, Roger, was born during that period.

Constant exposure to jet fuel began affecting his health in the mid-60's, so he began looking for other opportunities. He found them at Chanute Air Force Base, where he received a waiver to become the last civilian instructor hired without a college degree by the USAF. He started in aircraft environmental systems, and ended his career as a master instructor in charge of the USAF automotive mechanics school, where he also wrote much of the curriculum. In the meantime, he earned two Associate's Degrees at Parkland College. He was justifiably extremely proud of these accomplishments.

Charlie retired from Federal service in 1978; Chanute's commanding general attended his retirement ceremony to recognize and praise his service. Shortly thereafter, he began his second career, working at the U of I as an audio- visual trainer and equipment repair technician at the School of Education. He loved his job training student teachers to operate all types of classroom equipment, as well as his later assignment roaming the entire campus keeping classroom AV equipment operating. He made many good friends over the years, and didn't fully retire from this job until he was past 80.

Charlie loved four things intensely: his family, gardening, travel, and people. To the end, he planted vegetable and flower gardens every year of his life. He took many happy road trips with Evie, his sister-in-law Mary Higgins, and Janice. He and Evie traveled regularly to see their far-flung children, grandchildren, and great grand-children in California, Texas, Florida, and Alaska.

Charlie and Evie began spending winters at the beach house of son Roger's family in Florida in 2001, and a few years ago they began to slowly extend their stays each year. One month ago he and Evie moved to Clearwater, FL to be near Janice and Kathy. Leaving Champaign, their beloved home of 40 years, was a very sad day for them. They were just beginning to settle into their new home when his heart failed him.

Charlie was preceded in death by his parents, Charlie and Roxie Higgins; his brothers Phil, Dennis, Emmet, and George Higgins, and his sister Pearl Goins. He is survived by his beloved wife, Evie, and by their 5 children and their spouses and children: Lieba and Jim Duffin of Seaside, CA (Lara, Jenny, & Tom); Janice and Rick Byars of Largo, FL; Kathy and Mike Bauer of Ocala, FL; Ken and Cindy Higgins of Anchorage, AK (Kendra); and Roger and Melissa Higgins of Dallas, TX (Charlie & Elizabeth); and by his brothers Frank and Fred Higgins and their sister Barbara. He is also survived by 6 great grandchildren: Andrew, Emily, Shawn, Aiden, Abigail, and Finn, all of CA; and niece Hazel and nephew Charlie and their mother, Mary, all of Champaign, who have been of particular help to Charlie and Evie over the years, and dozens of other nieces and nephews.

Charles Higgins was my Dad, a good man who truly never met a stranger. At the end he was just a little old man in a "WWII Veteran" cap, who came from hard beginnings and wanted people to remember that he had accomplished some amazing things in his long life, all by his own hand, hard work, and brilliant mind, and all for the sake of his family.

Services will be held at Sylvan Abbey Funeral Home and Memorial Park in Clearwater, Florida. Public visitation will be Friday 11/13 from 6-8 PM, and services will take place Saturday 11/14 at 9 AM. Entombment and military honors will follow.