William Thomas Higgins

William Thomas Higgins was born in Colorado Springs in 1927, the third of four children of Daniel Thomas and Ella Margaret Harvey Higgins. After several years in Colorado Springs, the family moved frequently to work construction projects as Dan was a plumber, pipefitter and construction superintendent. Bill started high school in Iowa, then graduated from Regis College Prep in Denver. He also took courses at BYU and the University of Oregon, and worked as a surveyor on a project in Washington that was later revealed to be part of the top-secret Manhattan Project. He then served in the Navy from 1945 to 47. Following the Navy, he worked for Weyerhaeuser designing and surveying logging roads in Oregon. He then attended Marquette University in Milwaukee, and earned a civil engineering degree in 1952.

Following Marquette, he worked as a civil engineer for the Old Milwaukee Road railroad. He then moved to Ohio to build schools with Knowlton Construction. There he met his wife Mary. In 1961 the family moved to Richardson, Texas, where Bill worked for a construction company installing large satellite systems in North Carolina, Puerto Rico and South Korea. The systems broadcasted pro-USA radio programs into Eastern Europe, Cuba and North Korea for the Voice of America.

In 1965, Bill joined a real estate development arm of Dallas’s Murchison family. He was construction manager on projects including One Main Place and other buildings in the Dallas area, and then for the Park Fletcher development in Indianapolis. After living in Indianapolis for the final few years of his career, he retired in 1997.

Throughout his life he was a devout Catholic. He was a lifelong member of the Knights of Columbus, and in retirement was active with the Serra Club. He also was among the earliest members of St. Paul’s and was a volunteer construction expert for St. Paul’s church and school from the 1960’s until recent years. Among many other projects at St. Paul’s, he served as the chairman of the Building Committee for the current St. Paul’s sanctuary building. He also enjoyed Bible studies and serving in the Men’s Club, especially grilling chicken and making Cole slaw, and other social activities.

Bill was preceded in death by his wife Mary, and his siblings Paul Higgins, Margaret Holvey and Rita Butzirus. He is survived by his three children Tim, Katie and Mike; his five grandchildren Ashley, Alan, Melissa, Brandon and Shannon; his four great-grandchildren, and his nieces, nephews and extended family throughout the US.

To honor Bill’s passion for education and specifically St. Paul’s church and school, in lieu of flowers the family suggests donations to The Higgins Family Scholarship Fund at the Catholic Foundation, 12222 Merit Drive, Suite 850, Dallas, TX 75251 or www.catholicfoundation.com/donate.