1933
Yvonne
2015
Yvonne Higginbotham
November 17, 1933 — April 10, 2015
Marion – Yvonne Higginbotham, 81, passed away peacefully in her home Friday evening April 10, 2015 surrounded by two of her sons, Micheal Fletcher and Grady Higginbotham, and her friend and caregiver, Susan Tackitt.
Yvonne was born to Muriel (Hearn) Fletcher and Delos Fletcher in Williamson County near Dillingham on November 17, 1933. According to Delos, the doctor was late for Yvonne’s arrival out in the country house and therefore did not charge for his services!
Yvonne has four children: Micheal (Leslie Chatillon) Fletcher of Corona del Mar, California; Kevin (Patti) Higginbotham of Plano, Texas; Dawna (and friend Bill Jarvis) Daigle of Park City, Missouri; and Paul Grady Higginbotham of Marion. She has five grandchildren, two great grandchildren, and many cousins in the Williamson County area.
Yvonne graduated from Marion High School in 1952, and then from the University of New Hampshire in 1974 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Hotel Administration. She worked for the Disney Corporation for 20 years as Catering Manager and Director of Catering at the Disneyland Hotel in Anaheim, California.
Married to an Air Force pilot, Yvonne was privileged to live in many places around the world and travel to many exciting and exotic locations, finding each unique and especially rewarding to her and her family. In the late 1950s, she along with Micheal and Kevin, lived in Asmara, Eritrea, Ethiopia where daughter Dawna was born. In the early 1960s, she lived in Mildenhall, England where son Paul Grady was born. And finally, from 1968 through 1973, she and her family lived in Panama, first at Howard Air Force Base, and finally at Albrook Air Force Base. She was active in the Officers’ Wives Club and was President from 1970-1971. Stateside, she lived in Champagne-Urbana, Illinois; Ottumwa, Iowa; Colorado Springs, Colorado; Omaha, Nebraska; Dayton, Ohio; Portsmouth, New Hampshire; Laguna Beach, California; and then finally moved back home to Marion to care for her parents Muriel and Delos Fletcher. Her two oldest sons, Micheal and Kevin were born in Carbondale at Memorial Hospital where Olyn Eaton, their grandfather was once a pharmacist, which makes Illinois very special as well.
Yvonne was a member of the First United Methodist Church in Marion. She was active in the United Methodist Women, and helped with cooking for the Rotary Club. Yvonne loved to cook and try out new recipes, and enjoyed canning her home grown vegetables.
Yvonne and her children would like to thank Susan Tackitt for the love and care she provided these past several months, and to son Paul Grady for being her family caregiver.
According to Yvonne’s wishes, she will be cremated and has requested that no services be held at this time. Blue Funeral Home in Marion is taking care of the arrangements.
A small celebration will be held at First United Methodist Church on Main Street on Saturday, April 18th from 12:00 – 2:00 PM.
In lieu of flowers, those wishing to make a memorial donation are asked to contribute to the charity of their choice in her name.
To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Yvonne Higginbotham, please visit our flower store.
Service Schedule
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Service
Saturday, April 18, 2015
12:00 - 2:00 pm (Central time)
First United Methodist Church
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