Wanda Lou Higgins

Wanda Lou Montgomery Higgins was born February 5, 1925 the daughter of Robert Leonard and Purnie Lou Middleton in Paducah, Texas. She passed from this life on October 29, 2013 in Abilene. A service is scheduled for 10:00 am Friday, November 1, 2013 at Piersall Benton Chapel, 733 Butternut St with burial to follow at Elmwood Memorial Park. A visitation will be held Thursday evening from 5:30-7:00 pm at the funeral home.

Wanda graduated from Paducah High School in 1942 and continued her education at Abilene Christian College where she graduated in 1945 with a B.S. degree in English and Home Economics. She spent her entire working life as a teacher and learner. In the late 1960’s, Wanda returned to school and received her Masters of Education degree from the University of Georgia in 1971. She began her teaching career in the fall of 1945 and with the exception of two years spent in France, taught continuously until her retirement in 1990. Her first teaching job was in Amherst, Texas at Amherst High School. The next school year, 1946, she moved to Odem, Texas and began teaching in the Odem school district.

While in Odem, she met and married Madison Earl Montgomery in 1949. In 1951, Madison’s military commitment moved them to France where they lived for two years.
Returning to the United States, Wanda and Madison settled in the Corpus Christi area where Wanda began teaching at Tulosa-Midway elementary school in 1953 after the birth of their first child, Middleton Earl. Their daughter, Nancy Jayne was born there as well. The family continued to live in the Corpus Christi area until Madison’s employment at the Naval Air Station there required the family to move to Jacksonville, Florida in 1959.

Wanda began teaching in the Duval County school system after moving to Jacksonville and taught elementary, junior high and high school there until 1971. In that year, she moved to the county administrative offices where she was the supervisor of all the Home Economics teachers in the county.
In the summer of 1976, she and Madison moved to Abilene where Wanda was instructor of Home Economics and student teacher supervisor at Abilene Christian University. She retired from ACU in 1990 as Assistant Professor of Home Economics/Family Studies.

After the sudden death of Madison in 1987, she reconnected with an old high school sweetheart who had recently lost his wife. Wanda married Robert Higgins in the spring of 1990 and remained in Abilene to enjoy retirement life. Wanda and Bob traveled extensively and were members of the Good Sam camping club.

Wanda was an accomplished seamstress and enjoyed teaching sewing tremendously. She was also an avid quilter and spent a great deal of time making quilts for family and friends.

She is survived by her children Nancy Jayne Hartline, Denease Higgins, Lea Anne Harkleroad, Ed Higgins, and Bill Higgins and numerous grandchildren and great grandchildren. She is also survived by a brother-in-law David Higgins. She was preceded in death by her son Middleton Montgomery, husbands Madison Montgomery and Bob Higgins and by her parents.

Condolences may be offered to the family online at www.pbfuneraldirectors.com.