- Date Of Birth: October 15, 1930
- Date Of Death: November 29, 2020
- State: Idaho
Duane Richard Higer was born at home in the early morning of October 15, 1930 at Hill City, Kansas. Dr. Bundy was the doctor who delivered Duane. Duane’s father Charles, and a neighbor lady assisted the doctor, to help bring Duane into the world. These were the “dust bowl,” days of the late 1920’s and 1930’s. Duane’s father worked for a hardware store and on the side, developed his own windmill pump business. His family had but one neighbor, the Hildebrants, who were also friends of Duane’s grandpa William Henry, and grandma Eda Higer.
Duane’s father Charles served in the Army during W.W.I, in the U.S. Army.
Duane’s years from age five to ten, in Emmett, were happy years. His fondest memory was roller skating downtown close to the plumbing shop. Main Street, he recalled was the smoothest surface. His passion for playing marbles soon became his pastime of choice. What started with a set of five marbles, grew to a collection of over three thousand.
With the onset of , Duane’s father sold the plumbing shop in Emmett and moved the family into a house on five acres. Duane’s mother took on the role of both parents, as Charles went to work for four years, on the Naval shipyards in Astoria, Oregon. Duane, age 10, his brother Norman age 7 and brother Hiram 13, took on adult responsibilities to help their mother Verlinda run the farm and household. It was during these years that Duane met his lifelong friend, Ed Heath.
In 1945 with the war won, Duane’s father came home and his parents moved again, this time to a seven acre farm on the outskirts of Caldwell, Idaho. Duane’s parents built C.R. Higer plumbing at 510 Main Street. Duane left Boise’s Franklin in the 7th grade and transferred to the 8th grade, at Washington Jr. High, in Caldwell. This was a prosperous move for his family as the entire family pitched in with the development of the family plumbing business.
Caldwell High School gave Duane four memorable years with the ’49ers, where he served as Student body treasurer, earned his four year letterman’s stripes, and two time, Golden Glove boxing, Hall of Fame Status. Duane also enjoyed his high school Thespian Club.
In December of 1950 he volunteered for active duty with the Air National Guard during the Korean War. He left Boise to begin serving in the Medical Corps in May of 1951 at the Moody Airforce Base in Valdosta Georgia. He received medical-surgical training at Fort Sam Houston, in Texas, then to George Airforce Base in California where he was assigned to Surgery and Obstetrics and he assisted in delivering more than seventy newborn babies.Helping bring those newborns into the world was a joyous time in his life.
He took a teller’s position at the Idaho First National Bank where he met a co-worker, Carolyn Petersen. Little did he know she was an acquaintance of his future wife! Soon Carolyn arranged a blind date for him with music major, Carol Webster, from Walla Walla, Washington.
After a year of residence in Moscow, the couple moved to Caldwell for three years, when Duane heard of a medically related position in Pocatello.
Duane spearheaded the creation of the Idaho Health Facilities Association, serving two terms as President and fifteen years as Executive Director, organizing annual workshop conferences utilizing the experience of numerous persons of national renown. He wrote grants to the Region 10 Office on Aging, to bring educational speakers to Idaho, since there were none available in this state at the time. Formats were designed to reduce geriatric deficiencies and improve holistic quality of care for some 5,500 residents, implementing the benchmark for nursing home standards. The largest of the grants was a two-year program with the University of California, Berkley, Continuing Education. In 1967, as adjunct faculty, Duane assisted in the creation of the Health Care Administration Program at Idaho State University.
Duane is survived by his bride, Carol, of sixty-three years, their three grown children, Kristyn Truan of Colorado,(Van Truan, children: Krissie, Lee Christopher, Benjamin). Brian R. Higer of Kentucky, (DeeAnna Higer) and Scott D. Higer of Caldwell,(Silk Higer, children: Anika) Duane will always remain the most devoted Sweetheart, Dad and Papa and Friend.
