Hudson – Robert D. Higgins, 83, a lifelong resident of Hudson, died Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2012 at UMass Memorial Hospital in Worcester.
Born in Hudson, he was the son of the late Esther (Benway) and James Higgins Sr. and the brother of the late James Higgins Jr. and Dorothy (Higgins) Weagle, both of Hudson, he was a 1947 graduate of Hudson High School and was a veteran of the Korean War, serving as a corporal in the U.S. Army.
Mr. Higgins was a life member of the Hudson Lodge of Elks, member no. 61, and member of Saint Michael's Parish in Hudson. He was actively involved in the Hudson Youth Hockey League Association in the 1960s and coached the Youth Hockey Rangers Team. He played hockey, football, and baseball in high school and was an avid golfer.
He owned and operated Bob's Jenny Gas Station on Main Street in Hudson in the late 1950s. He also worked at Victory Plastics Co. in Hudson, LaPointe Machine and Tool Co., and Liberty Tool Co.
He is survived by his wife of 57 years, Nancy (Glynn) Higgins of Hudson; his son, Timothy Higgins and his wife Marylou of Allentown, N.H., and his three daughters, Colleen Higgins and her companion Henry Wheeler Jr. of Hudson, Marykate Griffin and her husband William of Sudbury, and Maureen Avery and her husband Scott of Ashburnham. He is also survived by his five grandchildren, Kou Meaghan Higgins of Michigan, Robert Higgins and his wife Carrie of Northfield, N.H., Kyle Griffin and his fiancé Katelyn Elliot of Lowell, and Bridget and Owen Griffin of Sudbury, and his two great-grandchildren, Jackson and Zoey Higgins of Northfield, N.H.
A funeral Mass will be celebrated Saturday, Feb. 25, at 9 a.m., in Saint Michael's Church, 21 Manning St., Hudson. Burial will follow in Forestvale Cemetery of Hudson. Calling hours will be held Friday, Feb. 24, from 5 to 8 p.m., at the Tighe-Hamilton Funeral Home, 50 Central St., Hudson.
