Our mother and friend was taken from us to live with God Wednesday, Aug. 2, 2017. While unexpected, we are grateful she died peacefully in her sleep. She left this earth exactly as she lived, with determination, humor and integrity.
Born in Los Angeles Feb. 26, 1941 to Ralph R and Lula Fay Woods, she returned to Baca County, Colo. in 1947 with her family.
A 1959 graduate of Springfield High School, she went on to attend the Amarillo College of Business until her marriage to Bob (Robert L.) Higgins of Walsh, Colo. on Oct. 18, 1959.
In the early years of their marriage, Pat and Bob made their home in Baca County, Colo. and Earth, Texas. They moved to Plains in 1972, where they spent their remaining years. Recently, Pat split her time between her homes in Plains and Buckner, Mo., allowing her to spend more time with her children and grandchildren.
Pat was devoted to her marriage, her family and her parents. She worked tirelessly to support our father during his extended illness and her parents as they aged. They trusted her implicitly. Regardless of what was asked or needed, she faithfully supported them with grace and humility in life and death. She has honored their memories in the most profound ways. We are so very proud she was our mother and of the example she set.
Our mother was a hard worker who never met a problem she couldn’t solve. She found humor in almost any situation and when she laughed, everyone laughed with her. What we will remember most is a fun-loving prankster who was willing to try anything. Some of our favorite memories are watching her fish with the children, body surf at the Jersey Shore and terrorize the countryside on a 4-wheeler. She was always the first one to start the water balloon fight, squirt you with the garden hose or play a practical joke. She always knew when we missed curfew, mainly because she had rigged all the doors with firecrackers that popped when you opened the door. She was an excellent shot with a pistol and carved a great pumpkin on Halloween. She loved to fish and we all agree, she played a mean game of Skip Bo.
Traveling was a natural extension of who she was. She enjoyed trips to Paris, New York, San Francisco, Chicago, Amsterdam, Barcelona, London, Oberammergau, Munich and New Orleans, one of her favorite cities. For a short while, she lived in Starnberg, Germany, where she continued her adventures and made new friends.
We will always be awed by her incredible creativity. Whether she was gardening, painting, drawing, sewing or carving, she showed an innate understanding of how things worked and demonstrated a level of perfectionism that was both inspiring and maddening. Most evenings you could find her working in the corner of our yard in Plains. She used to say that working in the yard was her therapy and she liked seeing things grow and bloom. She developed an interest in carving and spent hours learning how to perfect her carvings. As we prepared for the move to Germany, we had to apply for a special dispensation to allow her to bring carving wood. While there, we traveled to Oberammergau to see the famous wood carving school and examples of Bavarian carving. It was one of her favorite trips.
After raising six children, she decided to complete her education. She attended Seward County Community College and graduated in 1992 with an Associate of Arts degree in Computer Science, followed by a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Friends University in Wichita in 1999. She worked for Southwest Medical Center in Liberal for more than 25 years as the Supervisor of Transcription and the Assistant Supervisor of Medical Records.
She is remembered as an outstanding professional in her field and a respected leader by those who worked with her as well as those who worked for her.
She was preceded in death by her parents; and husband of 45 years, Bob Higgins.
She is survived by her six children: Sherri Higgins, Overland Park, Rick Higgins, Buckner, Mo., Brad and Lisa Higgins, Waynoka, Okla., John Higgins, Crawford, Neb., Joni and Bob Hart, Gillette, Wy., and Mike and Cheryl Higgins, Kansas City, Mo.; her grandchildren: William Higgins, Alva, Okla., Carter and Grace Higgins, Kansas City, Lily Higgins, Overland Park, and Alex Hart, Gillette, Wy. She is also survived by two brothers, Butch Woods, Laredo, Texas, and Sam Woods, Reno, Nevada.
We are keenly aware of the specific instructions she’s given us and will follow them to the letter. Rather than a memorial service, we ask that you remember her fondly and with a smile. We would be happy to accept condolences at Box 396, Plains, KS 67869.