Rodney Lewis Higgins

Rod Higgins was born January 24, 1954 in Norman, Oklahoma to Arnold and Betty Higgins. He
passed away at the Lexington Nursing Home in Lexington, Oklahoma on July 2, 2022.
The firstborn of four children, and the firstborn grandchild, Rod spent his childhood in several
locations to facilitate his father’s graduate studies. After stops in Hobbs, NM; Columbus, OH;
and Midwest City, OK; the family returned to Norman. During high school, Rod was a member of
the school choir and the Order of DeMolay, and he graduated from Norman High School in
1972. After a brief period attending Eastern Oklahoma State College in Wilburton, he began a
30-year career with Southwestern Bell (later AT&T.)
Rod was baptized as a child at the First Baptist Church of Norman, OK, where he attended until
his employer transferred him to Dallas, TX. In Dallas, he became a very active member of the
First Baptist Church of Dallas and an ardent follower of its pastor, W.A. Criswell. Missing his
hometown, family and longtime friends after several years, Rod requested, and was granted, a
transfer back to Norman. He remained in Norman for the rest of his life, until moving to nursing
care in Lexington in his very last days.
Rod had a boisterous laugh and loved to tease. He made numerous friends through his work.
An avid enthusiast of antique radios and antique cars, he also found friends through his
collectors’ clubs. Additionally, he was very dedicated to the care of his loving dogs, Sadie and
Abby.
Survivors include his sister, Kathleen Heister, of Norman; his brother, Jeffrey Higgins, of the
Philippines; nephew, Jake Heister, and his wife, Becky, of Moore; niece, Andrea Heister, of New
Orleans, LA; nephew Zac Higgins, and his wife, Maggie, of Farmington Hills, MI; niece, Emily
Shock and her husband, Zach of Toledo, OH; and his favorite, great-niece Lily Heister.
Rod was preceded in death by his parents, Arnold and Betty Higgins; sister, Cynthia Sue
Higgins; sister-in-law, Cathy Higgins; and brother-in-law, Larry Heister.