Douglas Higgins

Douglas Higgins, age 65, of Ankeny, passed away Saturday, January 5th, at the Iowa Methodist Medical Center in Des Moines.           Memorial services celebrating his life will be held at 2:00 p.m. Wednesday, January 9th, at the Bangor Liberty Friends Church with Pastor Arlen Daleske officiating. There will be no visitation. Memorials may be directed to the National Forest Foundation www.nationalforests.org . For condolences, please visit www.mitchellfh.com . The Mitchell Family Funeral Home is caring for Doug and his family. Ph. 641-844-1234.           Born on January 8th, 1953, in Mt. Pleasant, IA, he was the son of Richard and Lois (Mumaw) Higgins. He always joked he attended four Washington Elementary Schools in his young life before moving to Des Moines during Junior High (a true story because of his dad’s job transfers). He graduated from Valley High School in 1971 and later Iowa State University (1975) with a bachelor’s degree in forestry. In high school, Doug was active in the Boy Scouts, earning his Eagle Scout and inducted into the Order of the Arrow. He also enjoyed playing football and baseball.           On June 30th, 1978,  he was united in marriage to Sarah McDonald at the Bangor Liberty Friends Church, officiated by her brother, Douglass McDonald. The young couple moved to Medford, OR, where he was a forester for ten years. The couple moved back to their home state of Iowa and he enrolled at the University of Iowa, receiving his MBA and graduating at the top of his class. Even though it was Iowa, he still cheered for the Cyclones! Soon, he was employed at Equitable of Iowa and later Farm Bureau of Iowa and retired in 2011.           Doug was a loving husband and father who treasured the time he could spend with them. He was a soccer coach and swimming team treasurer for his daughter and had a dry sense of humor and liked to make his wife laugh- especially when he was in trouble- it softened the moment! Doug enjoyed time playing golf at Jester Park at Saylorville.            Left to cherish his memory are Sarah, his loving wife of 40 years, daughter Anna of Durango, CO, mother Lois of Urbandale, siblings- Rick Higgins of Des Moines, Pat (Carol) Higgins of Altoona, Beth Higgins of Des Moines and Barb (Chris) Hekel of Dallas, TX and his father-in-law Wayne McDonald of rural Clemons as well as the McDonald family he loved so much.            In death, Doug rejoined his father, Richard, sister Elizabeth and mother-in-law Miriam McDonald in 2005.