5/5/09

It is with great sadness we pass on news that Hilda Higgins (wife of Leo Higgins) passed away.  Following is the announcement from the Bangordailynews.com >>

Hilda Marie (Barry) Higgins
BANGOR - Hilda Marie (Barry) Higgins, 82, wife of Leo J. Higgins Sr., died peacefully May 2, 2009, surrounded by her loving family at home. She was born May 8, 1926, in Bangor, the daughter of Frank and Irene Agnes (Brideau) Barry. Hilda attended St. John's Catholic School and John Bapst High School. She had a deep faith in God and her Catholic religion. Hilda had a deep passion for her family and all that she loved and believed in. She also had a loving and generous heart. She enjoyed life's moments to the fullest making sure to leave many great memories to anyone and all that knew her. Hilda gave endlessly of herself throughout her time on God's Earth. She volunteered for many years at St. Mary's School when her own children were young and supported many fundraising events for the school through her involvement in St. Mary's School "Coffee Party Performances," school fairs and the parent teacher organization. She was active for many years as a member of the John Bapst High School Quarterback Club, supporting the needs of the school and athletic teams whenever called upon to do so. She was instrumental in efforts to keep John Bapst High School open as a Catholic high school when the dioceses had to close it in 1980; she led a committee working to keep it open as a Catholic high school. She even called the Vatican in Rome to discuss this decision with the Pope. Hilda worked for a short time at Viner Shoe Factory, Hancock Street, after high school before meeting and marrying the love of her life, Leo J. Higgins Sr., and raising a family of 13 children. She was the president of the United Cerebral Palsy Auxiliary for many years and led fundraising efforts for children and families affected by cerebral palsy. She was a member of Maine Central Railroad Auxiliary for more than 30 years. Being the wife of a railroad engineer, she enjoyed working for this organization because it gave her great pride to help raise funds and scholarships for charities and individuals in need. Hilda also took great pride in her country and felt humbled with her civic duty to serve as an election clerk for local voting polls in Bangor for many years. Hilda was a matriarch for her family of 13 children. She loved to spend time with her husband, children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She also loved to sing and dance, and talked of once sharing the dance floor with Fred Astaire as a young girl attending a ballroom dance with her family. Once her children were grown, Hilda realized her talent for artistry and painted many oil paintings of nature, her children and grandchildren. Hilda especially loved spending time at her camp on Beech Hill Pond and going for rides on the lake on her party boat. Hilda was able to get her wish to go for one last "party boat" ride on the Penobscot River this past week with her family. Hilda is survived by her loving husband of 63 years, Leo J. Higgins Sr. of Bangor; her daughter-in-law, Lucy Higgins and grandson, James, of Bangor; son, Barry Higgins and fiancee, Nancy Miller, of Connecticut, and grandchildren, Nick, Carissa, David, Keri, Angela and Sara; son, Richard Higgins and wife, Gale, of Pittsburg, Calif., and granddaughter, Leanna; daughter, Irene Higgins of Bradley; daughter, Cynthia Prescott and husband, David, of Newburgh and granddaughters, Theresa and Jaime; daughter, Cheryl Higgins of Bangor; daughter, Patricia Delong and husband, Ross, of Orrington and grandchildren, Christie, Brad and Adam; daughter, Tammie Higgins and her partner, Sherri Brackett, of Bowdoinham; son, Mark Higgins and wife, Pauline, of Bangor and granddaughters, Ashley, Rachel and Madison; son, John Higgins and wife, Kristy, of Glenburn and grandsons, J.J. and Wilson; son, Tim Higgins and wife, Kristine, of Glenburn and granddaughters, Emily and Katherine; son, Peter Higgins and fiancee, Denise D'Amboise, of Bangor and granddaughter, Morgan; daughter, Jackie Ireland and husband, Lew, of Brewer and grandchildren, Alexis and Garrett; 10 great-grandchildren; and special friends, Tammie Thayer and Bob Cadorette. Hilda was predeceased by her son, Leo J. Higgins Jr., Feb. 10, 1999. She will be sadly missed and fondly remembered by her family, many close friends and relatives. Friends may call 2-4 and 6-8 p.m. Tuesday, May 5, at Brookings-Smith, 133 Center St., Bangor. A Mass of Christian burial will be celebrated 11 a.m. Wednesday, May 6, at St. John's Catholic Church, 207 York St., Bangor. Interment will be at Mount Pleasant Cemetery, Bangor. Gifts in Hilda's memory may be made to the Leo J. Higgins Jr. Memorial Scholarship Fund, care of Mel MacKay, John Bapst Memorial High School, 100 Broadway, Bangor, ME 04401.

Friends may call 2-4 and 6-8 p.m. Tuesday, May 5, at Brookings-Smith, 133 Center St., Bangor. A Mass of Christian burial will be celebrated 11 a.m. Wednesday, May 6, at St. John's Catholic Church, 207 York St., Bangor. Interment will be at Mount Pleasant Cemetery, Bangor. Gifts in Hilda's memory may be made to the Leo J. Higgins Jr. Memorial Scholarship Fund, care of Mel MacKay, John Bapst Memorial High School, 100 Broadway, Bangor, ME 04401.

Thank you for offering to post an announcement on the 243rd webpage.  I know that would mean a lot to Leo.   

 NEWSPAPER ARTICLE!

Here's and article that was in the Lowell, MA Sun about the 62nd reunion of the 243rd.

World War II vets reunite at Westford Regency

By Robert Mills

WESTFORD -- They were much younger men then. Gathered from New York, Vermont and Fort Devens , and learning to use the "8-inch gun," a huge new Army artillery piece, one of the biggest used in the war. They numbered nearly 500 men.

They crossed the Atlantic aboard the historic Queen Elizabeth oceanliner, without escort, and learned they would join the U.S. 3rd Army, commanded by Gen. George S. Patton.

They crossed the beaches of Normandy in early November 1944, about two month after D-Day.

The men of Army's 243rd Field Artillery Battalion would fight in Europe until the end of the war.

They fired well over 5,000 artillery shells, took part in 12 major battles, including the infamous Ardennes, and then, victorious, returned home, according to a history of their battalion.

The men of the 243rd, mostly from New England, have gathered for each of the 62 years since.

This year they gathered in Westford, where Betsy Gildroy, owner of the Westford Regency, hosted the men and their families for free.

Gildroy's father, Capt. Robert E. Lee, served with the unit. He died in 1962.

The years have taken all but 20 or so men from the 243rd. Ten came to dinner on Saturday night.

Walking to a group picture takes some time. Memories of their war days have faded.

George "Wes" Hamblen, of Norwood , was a private first class, a switchboard operator.

"We went all through it," Hamblen said of the war in Europe.

The unit's 8-inch guns could fire about 20 miles. Hamblen recalls airplanes going out to spot the areas the guns were shelling.

He was shot in the back by a sniper. He earned a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star. But the details of how get muddled.

Hamblen said it was decades ago. But together, the men recall their years at war.

"Each one of us remembers something different that happened to us," he said.

Elmer "Tug" Graffam, of Westbrook , Maine , was a mess sergeant. He recalls that after victory in Europe , V-E Day, the unit was slated to begin training to head for the Pacific.

"We were lucky, the war ended in August, so we got to come home," he said.

He nudges Leo Higgins, of Bangor, Maine , to recall details of his time at war.

Higgins' daughter, Tammy Higgins, said that's one of the best parts of the reunions. These guys don't usually talk much about their war days.

"At home, they've never talked about it, but at these (reunions) I learn so much," she said.

 Graffam said the men share their tales of the war and news of their families.

The reunions consist of mostly family members now.

Those like Gildroy, and Steve O'Rourke of Newton , whose father, Staff Sgt. John J. O'Rourke, has also died, still come. O'Rourke organized this year's reunion.

Gildroy was 18 when her father died. She remembers old Army buddies coming to visit when she was a child.

In 2004, she got a box full of mementos from a relative, and learned about the reunions. She attended last year, and offered to host this year's reunion.

She met a sergeant who had driven her father to the front lines (the artillery would shoot from several miles back). He recalled how her father wanted to get closer and closer to the front, until he had to refuse to go further.

"They really are what Tom Brokaw said, the greatest generation," Gildroy said.

The men and their families were joined by Jean-Louis Pironio, an official from Rombas, France . A town where the men spent a few weeks from November to October 1944.

Rombas, a town of about 11,000 not far from the German border, has a monument to the 243rd, credited with liberating the town.

Rombas' mayor wrote the unit in 2006, so many decades later, still thanking all the men for their service.

"Your presence among us was one of the greatest events in the history of our town," wrote Mayor Lionel Fournier. "Indeed, you gave us back the most precious thing we had lost: our liberty."

The remaining men of the 243rd don't have an easy time getting around now. But the reunions remain important. On Saturday night, following dinner, they voted to meet again next year.

Another son or daughter will plan the event, just like O'Rourke did this year.

Why?

"I think it's important to keep these guys appreciated," O'Rourke said.