Iris June Fields Higgins, beloved wife, mother, and grandmother, passed away peacefully on September 19, 2024, at the age of eighty-six. Born on January 11, 1938, in Birmingham, Alabama, to Bruce Samuel Fields and Era Mary Wright Fields, Iris lived a life full of simple faith, warm hospitality, good humor, dedicated service, and adventure.
Iris married her husband, Artis Lee Higgins, on January 10, 1955, the day before she turned seventeen. Together, they built a remarkable life, framed by Art’s distinguished 30-year career with NASA, a second 23-year career Iris and Art shared in the auto delivery/dealer trade business, her various ministries at University Baptist Church including 40 years as Sunday School Secretary, her years of service with The Gideons International, the endeavors of raising two daughters, Sherri Ann and Amy Michelle, and a granddaughter, Susannah. A faithful member of her church family, bridge clubs and her Hudson Hills community, Iris was blessed with many long and treasured friendships. She was always the heart of her family, and tireless in her devotion to them.
A lifelong learner, Iris attended the University of South Alabama and Auburn University. Over the years, she pursued many passions including dressmaking, oil painting, decorating, entertaining, reading, and traveling, having visited all fifty states and four foreign countries. Known for her talents in the kitchen, she loved trying new dishes, but she seldom made any recipe as written, and rarely the same way twice.
Iris’s favorite childhood memories included her first trip out-of-state to Panama City, Florida, riding the streetcar with her cousins to Birmingham to attend the Mickey Mouse Club at the Alabama Theater, winning the 4-H dressmaking contest for Jefferson County, and cheerleading at Oak Grove High School.
Throughout her adult life, she 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 she saw many wonders such as the Northern Lights. Appreciative of majestic vistas, she loved the ocean, mountains in wintertime, deep green cornfields, and beautiful sunrises and sunsets. An avid Auburn athletics fan, she especially cherished victories over Alabama. Iris’s confident faith was a cornerstone of her life. She often reflected on the blessings and challenges she faced, always with the assurance that God was with her through it all.
She is survived by her loving husband, Art Higgins, daughter and son-in-law Sherri and Danny Ricketts, granddaughter Susannah Ricketts, daughter and son-in-law Amy and David Esker, her beloved brother Dennis Fields, and many beloved nieces, nephews, and cousins. Her legacy of faith, joy, and friendship will be remembered by all who knew her.
Visitation will be held on Tuesday, September 24, 2024 from 11:00 am until 1:00pm at Valhalla Funeral Home & Memory Gardens, 698 Winchester Rd NE, Huntsville, Alabama 35811. A Celebration of Life Memorial Service for Iris will follow at 1:00pm. She will be laid to rest at Faith Memorial Park in Madison immediately after services. In honor of Iris, memorials donations of Bibles may be sent to: Huntsville West Camp, The Gideons International, PO Box 22555, Huntsville, AL 35814.
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