James (Jim) Edward Higgins died December 12, 2025 at Girard, Kansas. He was born to Margaret Mercedes (Gorman) and James Edward Higgins on October 2, 1930, at Higgins Farm, four miles south of Mound City, Kansas, on the “Jefferson Trail,” now Highway 7. He attended Oxford District 99 grade school in Mantey, Kansas, and graduated from Mound City High School in 1948. After high school, Jim worked with his father on Higgins Farm.
In 1950, he joined the Kansas Army National Guard, 16th Artillery, in Pleasanton, Kansas. In 1956, he attended officers’ training at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. After serving for 25 years, Jim retired as a Captain in 1975.
On June 6, 1959, he married Connie Kay McClendon of Arma, Kansas, at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Mound City. In 1965, Jim began his career in Girard, Kansas, with Standard Oil (SOHIO), which later became BP British Petroleum. Jim’s career took the family to Nevada,
Missouri (1968); Lima, Ohio (1970); Potomac, Illinois (1971); and Fort Scott, Kansas (1972). In 1973, Jim and his family moved back to Higgins Farm, where he farmed while continuing his career with BP British Petroleum as a regional manager. He retired from BP in 1993 after 28 years with the company. Jim continued to operate Higgins Farm until June 2025, when he finally retired at age 94.
Jim was preceded in death by his parents; his wife; his daughter, Lisa; and his siblings, Shirley, Mary Anne, Rose, and Peter. He is survived by his children: Valerie (and family) of Athens, Ohio; Shaun (and family) of Girard, Kansas; Brian (and family) of Hutchinson, Kansas; and Bridget (and family) of Stilwell, Kansas. He is also survived by his siblings, Margaret, Elizabeth, and Ruth, as well as many grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
As per Jim’s wishes, there will be no public service. A staunch, lifelong Democrat, Jim suggested that, in lieu of flowers or memorials, family and friends remember him by making donations to future campaigns of their favorite Democratic candidates.
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