Frank Xavier Higgins' Obituary
Frank Xavier Higgins passed away at home in Andover on September 14, 2022 at the age of 93.
A life-long Massachusetts resident, Frank was born on September 24, 1928 in Lawrence. He grew up in an Irish-Catholic neighborhood on Coolidge Street near Saint Patrick’s church. In his childhood, he attended St Patrick’s Elementary School and served as an Altar Boy at St Patrick’s. He then attended Central Catholic High School where he played on the Varsity Basketball team. He was a paperboy for the Lawrence Eagle-Tribune -- and while he didn’t know it then, the Eagle-Tribune would become his entire career.
After High School he attended Boston University for 4 years and was drafted into the U.S. Army during the Korean conflict. After his discharge, he returned to Massachusetts and started working again for the Lawrence Eagle-Tribune, this time in the advertising department. He continued his education, taking classes in advertising -- now at Boston College -- where he ran into the Eagle-Tribune’s publisher’s son. They soon became friends and carpooled together to BC.
It was during this time that he met the woman would become his wife of over 68 years – Suzanne Annette Morin. They were married in 1954 and built their life-long home on Summer Street in Andover. Their first child Natalie arrived that same year, followed by son David in 1958, daughter Amy in 1964, and two more sons, Michael in 1965 and Mark in 1967.
Frank was active in the Lawrence Eagle-Tribune’s bowling league in the 1950s, acquiring an impressive collection of trophies which were displayed proudly in the home. Frank and Suzanne had quite the active social circle and hosted or attended dinner parties nearly every weekend. (Whilst shipping the kids off to local relatives, or relegating them to the upstairs rooms in the house with strict instructions not to cause a ruckus!)
Frank and the family spent two weeks every summer at the family camp on Cobbett’s Pond in Windham, NH., until the early 1970s. Frank would commute from Windham to the Eagle-Tribune for the first week, and take the second week as vacation.
He and the family visited Ireland 1978 for two weeks. They stayed in bed-and-breakfasts as they travelled around the Emerald Isle, visiting Blarney Castle, County Cork, Limerick, Killarney (where Amy got to meet a pen pal she’d been corresponding with) and attended a “medieval banquet” at Bunratty Castle.
Frank retired from the Lawrence Eagle-Tribune in 1993 after a nearly 50-year career. He was honored by a ceremony and dinner attended by his family, friends, local business leaders and the editors, publishers and owners of the newspaper. Although he was saddened by the end of his career, it was one of his most treasured memories.
After retirement, Frank and Suzie took the opportunity to travel to Europe several times. They also took an Alaskan cruise and at one point somehow missed the boat to take them from shore to the cruise ship. They ended up reuniting with the cruise liner out at sea where they had to be hoisted up the side of the ship! You can be sure that was a cherished family story!
In the 1990s, Frank underwent a 9-way heart bypass, which was very successful and inspired him to increase his fitness. He became a familiar sight walking all around downtown Andover, visiting many of the business owners who had become his friends during his Eagle-Tribune advertising days.
Frank was also a multi-decade prostate cancer survivor.
Frank was never one to let small problems get in his way. There is a great family story of how his car once became disabled and would only drive in reverse – so he drove it backwards from Andover to his mechanic in Lawrence, at one point driving past his father-in-law, who regaled the family with the story of that sight for many years.
One Frank’s favorite stories was from his time in the service, where he and several Army buddies stole their Colonel’s speedboat and took it on a joyride for the evening. They then got to meet several members of the Military Police which capped off the evening in an unforgettable fashion!
In his later years, Frank always enjoyed visits from his children Natalie Marie Cohen, David Francis Higgins, Amy Louise Campbell, Michael Earnest Higgins and Mark Paul Higgins. He doted on his grandchildren, Gillian Suzanne Esquivia-Cohen, Caitlin Rois Cohen, Kayleigh Ann Campbell, and Maren Brynn Higgins.
Frank was preceded in death by his beloved wife, Suzanne only a few months ago.https://www.pollardfuneralhome.com/obituaries/Suzanne-Higgins-2/#!/TributeWall
A funeral service will be held on Saturday, September 24, 2022 at 10:00 AM at the Kenneth H. Pollard Funeral Home, 233 Lawrence St. Methuen. Interment to follow at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery, Waverly Rd. North Andover. For directions and online guestbook, please visit the funeral home website, www.pollardfuneralhome.com. The Kenneth H. Pollard Funeral Home is honored to serve the Higgins Family.
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