Artis Lee Higgins

Artis Lee Higgins, beloved husband, father, and grandfather, passed away peacefully on July 22, 2026, at the age of ninety-one. Born on June 20, 1935, in Birmingham, Alabama, to Lonnie Ephus Higgins and Hazel Black Higgins, Art lived a life full of steadfast faith, earnest ambition, dedicated service, infectious humor, and adventure.

Art married his wife, Iris June Fields Higgins, on January 10, 1955, when she was sixteen and he was nineteen. Together, they built a remarkable life, framed by his two long and successful careers, his various ministries at University Baptist Church/Church on the Hill including 60+ years as a Bible scholar, Sunday School teacher and ordained Deacon, his years of service with The Gideons International, and the endeavors of raising two daughters, Sherri Ann and Amy Michelle, and a granddaughter, Susannah Grace. A faithful member of his church family, bridge clubs and his Hudson Hills community, Art was blessed with many long and treasured friendships.

Art’s early years began in a two-room log cabin deep in the woods of western Jefferson County, AL. After he graduated from Minor High School and served three years in the Army, Art earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering in 1960 from Auburn University. During his distinguished 30-year career with NASA, he served as an Instrumentation & Telemetry Manager for the Saturn 1-B and Saturn V rockets of the Apollo program and Marshall Space Flight Center’s Range Safety Manager for the Shuttle program. After his retirement from NASA, he shared a second 23-year career with his wife, Iris, in the auto delivery/dealer trade business, which satisfied his longing to drive, explore, and discover new roads and destinations.

Throughout his long life, Art’s many interests included golfing, woodworking, pioneering home electronics and early home computing, singing in the church choir, solving word puzzles, and traveling, having visited all fifty states and seven foreign countries. He loved music, such as big band swing, jazz, Elvis, and even opera. He especially loved southern gospel music and sang hymns every day of his life. Known for his enthusiasm for yard work, he maintained an impressive lawn even into his final years, alarming anyone watching a 90-yr-old race around on a mower. He never missed a turn, nor a blade of grass. And as a proud Auburn athletics fan, he suffered with hope for, or shouted with joy for their victories over Alabama!

Art also enjoyed camping, waterskiing, and RV-ing, including cross-country trips to the West Coast and back, routes heading north across Canada to Maine and down the East Coast, and a long trek to Alaska where he saw many wonders such as the Northern Lights. As an avid traveler and a devoted Deacon, his favorite adventures were mission trips, once to Ecuador and twice to Ukraine, where he joined the Lord at work.

Art’s faith was a cornerstone of his life. Looking back on the blessings and challenges he had faced, he always declared “That was God!” and “God was in control.” He was preceded into heaven by his parents, his younger brothers, Howard “Neyland” Higgins and James “Ronnie” Higgins, his younger sister, Imogene Isom, and his treasured wife of 69 years, Iris, in 2024. He leaves behind his daughter and son-in-law, Sherri and Danny Ricketts, granddaughter, Susannah Ricketts, daughter and son-in-law, Amy and David Esker, his dear brother-in-law, Dennis Fields, and many beloved nieces, nephews, and cousins.

In honor of Art, memorial donations for the purchase of Bibles may be sent to: Huntsville West Camp, The Gideons International, PO Box 22555, Huntsville, AL 35814, or arranged online at gideons.org.

Visitation will be held at Valhalla Funeral Home (Huntsville), 698 Winchester Road NE, Huntsville, AL 35811, on Saturday, August 1, 2026, from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm. A Celebration of Life will follow at 1:00pm.

Mr. Higgins will be laid to rest at Faith Memorial Park, 8100 Madison Blvd, Huntsville, AL immediately following services.