Patricia Jean Higgs Lindsey

Posted on July 24, 2024

Patricia Jean Higgs was born to the late Willard and Goldie (Sapp) Higgs on Aug. 20, 1933, in Louisville, Ky.

She grew up with three brothers, Irwin Leo, Arthur Clayton and Raymond Lester.

After graduating high school, she went on to beauty school to become a beautician. It was around this time that she met the love of her life, Joseph Lindsey.

They married and were blessed with two children, Joseph Steven and Peggy Lorraine.

Over the years they lived in several places, moving to Jacksonville where Patricia focused on raising the children and volunteering in the school library.

Joseph’s brother, Alvin, needed a caregiver, so the family moved to Atlanta, Ga., to assist for a few years.

Joseph got a job at Elgin Air Force Base and the family moved to Mary Esther, Fla., where she continued to raise her children and once again volunteered in the school library.

Patricia’s Aunt Hattie and Uncle Jimmy owned a Kentucky Fried Chicken store in Delray Beach. They were getting older and needed help in running the family business so off they went to help, moving to Delray Beachm where she and Joe co-managed the store.

The entire family pitched in to help…frying and packing chicken, cleaning tables, etc.

When they got a chance to be entrepreneurs, they purchased the Holiday Lodge Motel in Perry.

Joe taught diesel mechanics while Patricia was owner, operator and maid for their business working harder than she ever had before.

This was a 24/7 job, but she met interesting people and enjoyed it immensely.

They sold the motel, and she went to work for Sears & Roebuck in Perry under Dan Cooke.

She later transferred to Sears in Pensacola after her husband got a job teaching diesel mechanics there and then later, after Joe’s heart attack, they moved to Ocala to be closer to family and she continued to work at Sears in Ocala.

This was only for a year, and then they moved back to Perry to be closer to their daughter and family.

Both Joe and Patricia were retired, and they travelled every year to New Mexico for the summer to housesit for a friend. They thoroughly enjoyed traveling and were able to make several trips out West and up North to Kentucky to visit family.

After Joe’s death in 2001, Patricia devoted time volunteering and helping take care of her Aunt Hattie.

She was a member of First Presbyterian Church serving on committees and occasionally ushering. Patricia belonged to Perry Chapter 98 OES, serving as Worthy Matron, Esther, Ruth and Martha, Associate Matron.

She volunteered at the Perry Shrine Club on many a bingo night, helping in the kitchen and selling cards.

She was a team captain for Relay for Life and volunteered in the gift shop at Doctors’ Memorial Hospital (DMH) for the auxiliary.

Patricia was a past president of AARP Chapter and a member of Roseheads of Perry Red Hat Chapter.

Her hobbies were knitting and crocheting. She made many hats, booties and blankets for DMH when they were still delivering babies and for Tallahassee NICU for the preemies.

Many seniors at the Perry Health Facility were given one of her handmade blankets.

Patricia was notorious for the prayer shawls she made for those needing comfort.

In 2008, she was voted “Woman of the Year” by Beta Sigma Phi for community work.

Patricia is survived by: her son Joseph Steven (Yolanda) Lindsey, who resides in California City, Cali., and daughter Peggy (Lynn) Williams in Perry; grandchildren, Angela (Sam) Lindsey-Powell of South Carolina, Shasta (Lee) Philhour of St. Augustine; Daniel (Rieko) Lindsey of Los Angeles, Calif., and Patricia Banks of Texas; nine great-grandchildren; and two brothers, Arthur and Raymond Higgs of Louisville, Ky.

She was born on a Sunday, passed on a Sunday (July 14, 2024) and laid to rest on Sunday, July 21, 2024, at Woodlawn Cemetery.