Alane Higgins Reid

Alane Higgins Reid passed away peacefully at home on October 14, 2024. She was born on May 12, 1943, to Clen Lafayette “Ox” Higgins and Ezma Inez Taylor Higgins. Growing up in her father’s store, C&S Sporting Goods, she spent countless hours pounding keys on adding machines and typewriters throughout the building. A proud Austin native, Alane spent summers at Camp Mystic near Kerrville and attended Casis Elementary, O. Henry Junior High, and “the old” Austin High School. She went on to graduate from the University of Texas at Austin in 1965, where she was a member of the Zeta Tau Alpha sorority.

Alane began her career as a teacher, working in both Austin and St. Louis school systems. However, her passion for jewelry led her down a different path. With her first husband, Bob Peoples, she sold jewelry on the UT-Austin Drag and wholesaled pieces through their business, Journey’s End. In the early 1980s, she continued her love for jewelry alongside her beloved husband, Jack Reid, at J.D. Reid Company. An artist at heart, Alane found joy in stringing beads, knotting pearls, and working with every kind of jewelry imaginable. Her jewelry legacy lives on through Gloria Calderon, who worked alongside her for decades. She also built lasting relationships with many customers and employees, who became lifelong friends.

A gifted baker, Alane shared her love through sweet breads like Amish Friendship bread, banana bread, and her sister Erin’s famous pumpkin bread. She generously shared her recipes and treats with everyone in her life.

She cherished her monthly luncheons with her Curves exercise group, a wonderful circle of friends including Carol Bercen, Noni Ham, Pam Cross, Jackie Fricke, Kay Thornton, Margaret McQuiston, Mimi and Suzanne Malis. Alane also treasured her weekly walks and lunches with her dear relative, Stephanie Peco.

Alane’s adventurous spirit took her around the world. She traveled extensively throughout Europe, South Korea, and Japan and attended annual jewelry shows in Hong Kong, Las Vegas, and Tucson. She loved nature and explored national parks and cities across the western U.S. and Canada. She also embarked on numerous bus trips across Texas and Louisiana with her dear friend Wanda Lou Mouton Harris, who organized over 500 excursions over the years. One of her greatest joys was traveling with her daughter-in-law, Julie, and Julie’s mother, Fran Farrow of Temple, Texas. Alane and Fran became fabulous travel buddies, making unforgettable memories on trips to watch Julie run marathons in New York and Tokyo.

Throughout her life, Alane remained close with one of her Camp Mystic cabin buddies, Carol Strickland of Austin, Texas. Their lifelong friendship was marked by alternating summer visits between Abilene and Austin, a tradition they both cherished.

Alane was preceded in death by her parents; her siblings, Patrick O. Higgins of Austin, William Michael “Hig” Higgins of Lubbock, and Erin Higgins Watson of Johnson City; and many cherished friends, including Patricia Peacock Harrison, Andrea Shupee Evans, Tracy Aycock, Howard and Ruth Stack, Wanda Harris, and Jeffrey John “Stretch” Panak.

She is survived by her devoted husband of over 40 years, Jack Reid; her son and daughter-in-law, Robert and Julie Peoples; her sisters-in-law, Janis Higgins of Austin and Alice Higgins of Lubbock; her brother-in-law, John Watson of Johnson City; her “forever sister-in-law,” Ave Wahrmund; as well as many beloved nieces and nephews.

Alane’s warmth, kindness, and ever-upbeat spirit will be deeply missed by all who knew her.

A celebration of her life will be announced at a later date.