Janet S. Higgins

On July 31, 2025, Janet Sharon (Somers) Higgins passed away at Maple Grove Adult Foster Care in Barton City, MI. Born in Harrisville, MI on May 12, 1942, she lived near her family homestead for the entirety of her 83 years.

During her childhood, Janet was very active in the St. Anne’s Catholic Church, but could also be found working alongside her dad “Tink” (Ervin Somers)- learning from the best: working on cars, fishing, hunting and farming. After graduating as Valedictorian of Alcona High School in 1960, she began a secretarial career at Wurtsmith Air Force Base in Oscoda, where she met her future husband, Master Sargeant Zack Higgins. Zack and Janet were married 10/18/1969 and purchased property a stone’s throw from Janet’s parents’ home. They worked together to rebuild the house and property to accommodate their future family and begin their new career as farmers of hay and beef cattle. Zack and Janet were the proud parents of Michael Raymond Higgins (born 4/8/1972) and Mark Stephen Higgins (born 2/24/1977). They included their children in their daily farming responsibilities as well as in their hobbies, providing them both with a wealth of experiential knowledge, a hard work ethic, and many spirited memories.

Janet was “active” to say the least, as a mother, friend, wife, volunteer and mentor. She took great pride being a teammate on the Lincoln Larks softball team (1979 Champions of the Alcona Women’s Softball League). As she transitioned to mom, she would get so excited watching her boys play sports, that she yelled “that’s my boy” above the crowd! As her boys became active in 4H and FFA, she found herself mentoring ALL the kids. So much so, that she volunteered the family farm as an extended classroom for Alcona High School students. Without even knowing it she became a female role model for young ladies. To balance things out, Janet had many hobbies. Bicycle repair was one such hobby, so much so, that she was known at the “bicycle lady” on Poor Farm Road. Furniture restoration, blackberry picking, cutting wood, spending time in the woods, and gathering the leftover corn after the combine went through to ensure that nothing “went to waste.” She also enjoyed reading about historical war events and collecting a variety of “treasures” (cookie jars, sports cards, antique furniture in need of repair, and war memorabilia), which meant she was forever stopping at garage sales to find the best deal. Later in life she also enjoyed combing the beach for Petoskey Stones and hand finishing them during her “down-time.” Even as she aged, Janet was rarely idle and those who knew her well enjoyed her generous heart and wicked sense of humor.

Avid deer hunters, Janet and Zack looked forward to sharing the excitement and anticipation of each opening day of deer season with their sons and family, including the success of each son and their grandsons’ “first buck”. Antler size was not a concern to her, the thrill of harvesting a buck made her bust out into song-and-dance.

After her sons were off into the world and her farming responsibilities had ended, Janet transitioned to contributing her energy and talents to community needs. Her passion for history blossomed into several projects to preserve local history. At first, she actively worked with the Alcona Historical Society assisting with updates and repairs of the Sturgeon Point Lighthouse and the Lincoln Depot; and she was awarded the Alcona County Historical Society Volunteer of the Year in 2005 for her efforts. However, soon her interest moved toward tasks she could execute independently- historical research and documentation. She finished several self-publications: Early Alcona Schools, Alcona County WWII Veterans, Alcona County WWI Veterans and co-authoring The Civil War Veterans of Alcona County, MI. Additionally, she provided support and research assistance on local historical publications: Mt. Joy Cemetery, a three-volume series of Alcona County a Pictorial History and the seven-volume series Birth, Marriage, Divorce and Death Notices. Janet spent countless hours at the local library and public records office double checking the accuracy of facts, dates and name spellings, labeling photos and reviewing the material. As well, Janet enjoyed talking with the “old-timers” to encourage their recall of experiences for inclusion in her historical preservation research projects. She often spoke of how fulfilling she found her research, as it paid homage to those before her time.

Janet’s passion for honoring Veterans was translated into her work in the Alcona County cemeteries. She applied for and obtained VA grave markers for four previously unmarked Civil War Veterans in Alcona County; and every Alcona cemetery benefitted from her documentation of Veterans’ burial locations. She also assisted the VFW and townships for many years with accessing flag holders and flag placements on Veterans’ gravesites. It was a special joy for her to ascertain Veterans’ recognition. She could often be found in a local cemetery hunting down historical details like pioneer families’ burial locations, stone inscriptions, Veterans’ burial sites, and even took the extra effort of cleaning headstones to ensure their preservation. She mentioned several times she much enjoyed the quiet, serene times there: “No one yells at me. Everyone agrees with me.”

Janet was diagnosed with macular degeneration in 2017 and worked hard to adapt and maintain her interests even with significant sight deficits. In fact, she shot her last buck in 2020. However, when she was pronounced legally blind in 2022, her world became extremely small very quickly as she struggled to do even simple tasks without assistance. Nonetheless, she did enjoy listening to historical war books from the Michigan Library for the Blind and always enjoyed visits with her family and friends. Janet’s loyalty, energy and humor will be greatly missed but her joy will forever be encapsulated at the Higgins’ home during deer camp. We will be forever raising a toddy in her honor and celebrating the milestones.

Janet’s death was preceded by her husband of 56 years Zack Higgins who passed away on January 1, 2025. She is survived by her sons Michael and Mark Higgins, daughter-in-law Krista Strait-Higgins and grandchildren Isaac Higgins (wife Maryse Higgins) and Owen Higgins, as well several nieces, nephews and many friends.

Janet did not wish to have a public funeral so immediate family will be facilitating a graveside service on Tuesday, August 5th. Those who wish to extend their condolences and raise a glass in her honor are welcomed to join us at the Higgins’ farm on Tuesday, August 5th at 1 PM. In lieu of flowers, Janet has requested donations in her memory to any Michigan based Veteran group, Wounded Warriors or local group that services Veterans. The family extends special thanks to the Maple Grove Adult Foster Care Home and Hospice of Michigan staff for their care of Janet in her most vulnerable moments; and to the friends who continued to visit with Janet and share their love even near the end of her life.