Obituary of Nancy Anne Higgins nee Keough

Nancy Anne Higgins nee Keough, 81, of Santa Cruz died peacefully on Tuesday February 13, 2019.

Nancy was born in The Bronx, NY in 1937, the third of three children of Catherine (McPhelim) Keough and John Raymond Keough.  Her sister Frances Keough Murphy still lives in New York and her brother John Augustine Keough died in 2010.

Nancy was married to Robert Higgins who died in 1997.

She is survived by her loving children and grandchildren: Sara, Mark and Ava; Jane and Katie; Sean, Jana, Leah and Cary; and Paul, Marianne and Robert.

Nancy lived in New York and attended St. Vincent Ferrer High School in Manhattan, where she met her lifelong friend Mary Casey, and later earned a Bachelor's degree in Early Childhood Education from the State University of NY at New Paltz.

Nancy loved her Irish heritage and frequently visited with her beloved cousin Ethna Egan Scallon and her family, both here and in Ireland.

A 30 year resident of Cornwall, NY Nancy retired from the NY State Court and headed west to the grandchild-rich territory of California in 2000.   

Nancy made Santa Cruz her home for over eighteen years, and loved being a part of the St. Joseph’s Catholic community where she met her dear friends Sr. Joan Derry and Joyce Anne Assmussen, served as a Eucharistic minister and taught in RCIA.

Nancy enjoyed travel, meeting people and learning their background, but also knitting, gardening, playing card games, and she especially loved visits from her grandchildren.

Services for Nancy will be held at St. Jospehs Church on Monday, February 18, 2019, beginning at 10 am. A Rosary wil be held at Pacific Gardens Chapel on Sunday, February 17, 2019, beginning at 6 pm.