‘Gramps, you are our hero’: A day of honor, and fondly shared memories of Bend Pearl Harbor survivor Dick Higgins
(Update: adding video and granddaughter's remarks at service)
BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- Central Oregonians gathered Thursday to pay their respects and to share fond memories at a series of events honoring the life of Richard "Dick" Higgins, who survived the 1941 Pearl Harbor attack and spent his later years with family and an ever-expanding circle of friends in Bend before passing away last week at the age of 102.
The day began with the Bend Heroes Foundation honoring Dick Higgins at 8 a.m. at the Bend Heroes Memorial, similar to the service held there annually on Dec. 7 for Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day. Bend Mayor Melanie Kebler’s “Dick Higgins Day” proclamation and Ted Lyster’s “Pearl Harbor” poem were read during the brief ceremony.
Flags were displayed by volunteers at the memorial and along Veterans Memorial Bridge on Newport Avenue. Flags bearing the names of the community's WWII veterans, including Higgins' flag, will be displayed at the subsequent church service.
A public memorial service began at 11 a.m. at Eastmont Church, and was livestreamed by Central Oregon Open Programming, Connect Central Oregon and the church. The family asked that participants wear Hawaiian attire in Higgins' memory. In lieu of flowers, donations were requested to the Bend Band of Brothers.
Higgins granddaughter, Angela Norton, said the man so many knew as "Gramps" "would have been shocked to see all this honor bestowed upon him, because, as he often said, he was not the hero. The heroes were those who never came home. But, Gramps, you are our hero."
The service was as full of touching, funny, sad and heartfelt moments and memories as you might imagine, and Norton shared a lifetime of fond memories of a man who would spend hours sharing his stories and gladly hearing others.' She spoke of the “simple and sweet memories” of her growing family sharing their daily lives with his for nearly a decade.
“It was so very worth it,” she said. “We had a piece of history, a national treasure in our house, and we were blessed to have him for so many years."
War memorabilia, as well as personal photographs embodying Higgins life, which ended at the age of 102, were on display.
“So as much as he’s my Gramps, he’s everyone’s Gramps,” Norton said. "He would always say, freedom isn't free. If you lose it, it's almost impossible to get it back. And if we don't learn from our history, we're doomed to repeat it."
Following the memorial service, a police escort joined in a procession to Deschutes Memorial Gardens for a 1 p.m. military funeral service honoring Higgins, with full honors. That was also livestreamed:
The Oregon Band of Brothers provided the flag line, while the Oregon Veterans Motorcycle Association took part in the police procession, followed by cars carrying loved ones.
The commanding officer of Whidbey Island Naval Air Station, Captain Eric Hanks, hand-delivered an official National Ensign flag flown above the headquarters at NAS Whidbey Island.
Higgins, a radioman for an amphibious aircraft when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, was stationed at Whidbey Island for part of his service.
The Navy sent a bugler and color guard, while the Air Force sent a rifle detail. A Navy flyover out of Whidbey Island also streaked across the blustery skies, from the Patrol Squadron (VP) 1 “Screaming Eagles”.
State Senator Tim Knopp, representatives from U.S. Rep. Laurie Chavez-DeRemer’s office and other officials also were in attendance at the services.
The day's tributes concluded with an Honor Bell, which recognizes fallen service members.
The final act from his family included his great grandchildren draping leis over his coffin.
Higgins will take his final flight, an Honor Flight, on Saturday from Portland International Airport to Orange County, California, where he'll be buried beside his wife of 60 years, Winnie.
