Seiko Takeda Higgins

Seiko was born on January 21, 1938, in Shimanto-shi, Shikoku, Japan, the second of five children born to Kameno Yube and Masaru Takeda. Her mother was a homemaker and her father a rice farmer; the Takeda family also ran the public bathhouse in the village. Seiko attended school in nearby Nakamura village, where she excelled in all her studies from an early age and was continually at the top of her class. Upon graduation from high school, Seiko earned an academic scholarship to the prestigious Aoyama University in Tokyo where she studied English literature. It was while attending university in Tokyo that Seiko began her study of Christianity in earnest and was introduced to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She was baptized at the age of 19 after a full year of learning about the gospel.

After her baptism, Seiko transferred from Aoyama University to the Church College of Hawaii (now Brigham Young University-Hawaii), where she met John Higgins, a returned missionary from Japan who was teaching mathematics. They were married in 1961 in the Los Angeles Temple and moved to Provo, Utah, to continue their work and studies at Brigham Young University. Over the next few years, they had three children (Ann, Ellen, and Michael), all while Seiko continued her studies. She earned her master’s degree in linguistics in 1972 and her PhD in instructional science in 1985, both from BYU. She became one of the first female professors in the Japanese Department at BYU and was beloved by both the faculty and students for her devotion to teaching, her rigorous coursework, and her sense of humor. Teaching was one of her great talents and loves, but she was also uniquely skilled in the arts: she was an extraordinary seamstress and a prolific and avid quilter whose quilts won awards at many shows. She also painted and sketched, wove baskets by hand, knit sweaters, and gardened religiously. Her hands were seldom idle; she was constantly working on new artistic creations. The only thing she didn’t enjoy was cooking, but she made up for it with nearly every other homemaking skill (which she mastered with ease). Her greatest love by far, however, was her family—especially her grandchildren. She loved them fiercely and devotedly, and no one will miss her more.

Seiko was devoted to her faith, and she and John served for many years as temple workers in both the Provo and Mount Timpanogos Temples, and later as missionaries in the Panama City Temple from 2009 to 2011. Though learning to speak Spanish in her senior years proved challenging for her, she thoroughly enjoyed her time in Panama and embraced the people and culture wholeheartedly.

Seiko is survived by her husband, John Claybourne Higgins; her three children, Ann Higgins, Ellen Bahr (Benjamin), and Michael Higgins (Chandra); her nine grandchildren, Mary and Sarah Lamphier; Charlie (Maika), Sam, and Jane Bahr; and Olivia Allington (Cody), Grace, Lucy, and Victoria Higgins; one great-granddaughter (Leia Kagawa Bahr); and siblings Tomie Yube, Haruki (Chiyoko) Takeda, and Yoshihiro Takeda. She is predeceased by her parents, Kameno Yube and Masaru Takeda, and one brother, Hiroki Takeda.

A funeral service for Seiko will be held Saturday, April 30, 2022 from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, 1550 Buchanan Blvd, Boulder City, NV 89005. Following the funeral service will be a committal service from 1:00 PM to 1:30 PM at Palm Eastern Cemetery, 7600 S Eastern Ave, Las Vegas, NV 89123.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.palmeastern.com for the Higgins family.