Ruth Arlene Higgins' Obituary
Ruth was born in Ortonville, MN on August 11, 1947; one of the 9 children of Charles F. Mittelsteadt and Myrtle P. Mittelsteadt. Ruth grew up in Ortonville and graduated from Ortonville High School in 1947. After graduating from high school, Ruth then traveled to San Leandro, CA to visit her sister Charlotte. She began working at the Blue White Drive-in for spending money. One day in 1948, while working at the Blue White, Warren Higgins walked in and and said he would like to have a milkshake and a slice of pie. “No, you aren’t!” said Ruth, and two months later, they married on March 31, 1948. They had 3 children, Shawn in 1949, Pam in 1952 and Wendy in 1960. They bought their first home in San Leandro in 1961. Ruth remained in this home until she passed away on March 11, 2017. In 1963, Ruth started selling Amway products, and long before many women ran their own businesses, with Warren at her side, grew it into a business which supported the family. With Amway, Warren and Ruth met many people that became lifelong friends. They travelled the world together in their 67 years of marriage. They visited Hawaii, Peter Island, Puerto Vallarta, Hong Kong and the Great Wall of China with family and friends and enjoyed several Caribbean Cruises. March 31 2017 would have marked their 69th wedding anniversary. Ruth and Warren were best friends and she missed him every day after his passing in 2015. Ruth was a good friend always and in some cases became a caretaker to family members, a close friend and later to a neighbor. She loved baking, and canning and sharing the outcome. She often mailed jams to her family and one time Pam got a call from the Kona Post Office about hazardous waste leaking from a box. Yes, the so called hazardous waste was Mom’s jam. One bottle had broken and the rest was delicious. She was the one that always kept things together and made certain that the i’s were dotted and the t’s were crossed. She was always in charge. She loved her Dachshunds and they were a large part of their lives together. She also loved her Oakland A’s and would not miss a game. Ruth always taught her family, never pay someone to do anything that you can do yourself, and this lesson has followed through the generations. Ruth continued with these lessons throughout her life, when her children caught her cleaning the gutters on the house when she was 78. Ruth was a member Golden Wave Chapter of the Eastern Star and was busy on the advisory board for the Eden Assembly #157 of Rainbow for Girls. She drove the girls all over the state, to Grand Assembly and Supreme Assembly, logging many miles with giggling teenage girls in the back seat. She was a member of Broadmoor Community Church and later Bethel Presbyterian Church. She and Warren would swim 3 times per week at the Boys club, and later, they were very active at the San Leandro Senior center, where other members would fight to sit at their table so they would laugh their lunch hour away. Ruth was proceeded in death her husband Warren, and survived by Shawn Higgins and Joyce, Pamela Higgins and Bill, and Wendy Higgins Hardwick. Her grandchildren Scott Higgins & Kyi Kyi, Holly Higgins-Smith and Michael, Matthew Hardwick, Kristen Potts, Chris Enger, Cynde Vannatta, and her great grand children, Tristan Potts, Rowyn Potts, Ava Higgins, Kyle Vannatta, and twin baby girls on the way. Also her wonderful caregivers, Rosemary Ammons, Linda Wiley and Chevelle Brown.
What’s your fondest memory of Ruth?
What’s a lesson you learned from Ruth?
Share a story where Ruth's kindness touched your heart.
Describe a day with Ruth you’ll never forget.
How did Ruth make you smile?