Ione Higgins

1927 - 2022

SAN DIEGO, CA — Ione Higgins, age 94, passed away peacefully on February 23, 2022 looking out on her favorite view of the garden, surrounded by her family.

Ione was born in Merced, California and enjoyed her early childhood in the small town of Mariposa with her older brother Bill and her parents, William and Marguerite Rhodes.

Ione’s father was employed as an engineer for the California Highway Department and the Rhodes family moved because of his work, from Mariposa in 1935, to Taft, to El Centro, and then permanently to San Diego. Ione attended San Diego High school where she was a cheerleader. She graduated in 1945.

After high school Ione enrolled at SDSU, was freshman Homecoming Queen, and soon met an Aztec football player named Clark Higgins. Clark and Ione married in 1948 and enjoyed 67 years together until Clark’s death in 2015.

The growing Higgins family (4 children) lived in the San Diego State College area until 1957 when they moved to La Jolla. In addition to always being the best mother to her children, Ione found time to be active in her La Jolla community. She was a longtime member of Las Patronas, the PTA, a Girl Scout leader, and helped with many youth sports organizations.

After 20 wonderful years in La Jolla, Clark and Ione moved to Mission Bay to a condominium building that Clark developed. They enjoyed living on Sail Bay where they created a tradition of Sunday family dinners, which always followed fun days of volleyball on the beach. Ione and Clark also loved to watch their grandkids play sports and were the best fans, traveling to games all over the county, and further.

Upon Clark’s death in 2015, Ione moved to La Vida Del Mar She embraced her life at La Vida where she made many friends and stayed active with various exercise, lecture and other group events. Ione also remained an ardent sports fan of her SDSU Aztecs and rarely missed televised football and basketball games.

Ione is survived by her children, Shelley Higgins (Frank Mielke), Chugiak, Alaska, Steve Higgins (Kim) Rancho Santa Fe, Cindy Hebert (Mike) of Encinitas, and Terri Ducey of Olivenhain, ten grandchildren and eleven great grandkids. Her twelfth great grandchild is due this summer and thirteenth is due in October. Granddaughter, Meg and her husband Sam, plan to name their daughter, Ione.

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