Roger A. Higgins, age 79, of East Dubuque, IL, completed his earthly journey on January 5, 2026, at Ennoble Manor in Dubuque while surrounded by his loving family.   To honor Roger’s life, a Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday, January 24, 2026, at R Place, 292 Sinsinawa Avenue in East Dubuque.  The Tri-State Cremation Center is humbly serving Roger’s family.

Roger was born on January 1, 1947, in Marseilles, IL, the youngest son to Walter and Lona (Perdue) Higgins. He was born with a charming character and unending adoration for his family and friends which he carried proudly throughout his entire life. Roger was a patriot at heart and on his 18th birthday, he immediately signed up with the U.S. Navy and went on to honorably serve his country during the Vietnam War. He spent the majority of his working years at the Chemical Plant in East Dubuque, IL. He made many friends along the way and always gave his best at every job and opportunity he was given.

In his free-time, Roger was a fisherman at heart. He was known to make regular trips up to Lake Erie in search of the largest walleye the lake held, and also countless trips down to the southern lakes in Iowa filling his cooler with as many panfish as he could catch. Roger always understood that even a bad day fishing was always better than his best day at work. He was also willing to make it a priority to share time with his friends whenever possible and catch up on the local gossip while solving the world’s problems one at a time. Roger’s fun and loving nature was always evident to those around him and making friends easily was surely a trait he possessed in aces. We are going to miss Roger more than he could know and are forever grateful for the memories he leaves behind now.

Those left behind to cherish the memory of Roger include,

his loving wife of 25 years,
Lisa Higgins, East Dubuque, IL;

his children,
Roger Higgins, Dubuque, IA,
Bonnie (Tim) Sampson, Cuba City, WI,
John Plagman, Dubuque, IA,
Rebecca Plagman, Dubuque, IA,
Tina (Rick) Ishman, Dubuque, IA,
Dawn (Mike) Schafer, MO,
Jessica Oberbroeckling, Dubuque, IA,
and Sarah (Chris VanLaten) Oberbroeckling, Lake in the Hills, IL;

his grandchildren,
Tiffany Plagman, Mariah Ishman, Stephen Henkel, Samantha Schafer, Logan Higgins, Michael Dean, Zackary Ishman, R.J. Higgins, Alex Plagman, Julian Van Laten, and Hugo Van Laten;

his siblings,
Anna Swartz, Marseilles, IL,
and Daniel Higgins, Sebastian, FL;

along with numerous extended family, friends and neighbors.

Roger was preceded in death by his parents; and his siblings, Esther Huss, Pearl Burns, Thelma Glenn, Velma Eiben, Phil Higgins and Mid Craven.

Roger’s family would like to thank the nurses and staff at Ennoble Manor and Care Initiatives Hospice for all of their professional and compassionate care.

Online condolences may be shared with Roger’s family at www.tristatecremationcenter.com