Obituary of Muriel E. Higgins

Muriel E. Higgins Muriel Emaria Higgins was born Muriel Emaria Kadakas to Henry and Saima Kadakas on April 28,1923 in Brooklyn, New York. She passed peacefully into Christ’s loving hands on October 18, 2012 at the Victoria Mews in Boonton, NJ. Muriel grew up in the, then, Scandinavian section of Brooklyn on 42nd St near 9th Ave. She worked as a secretary at a law firm in lower Manhattan. She married her late husband, Kenneth J. Higgins, Sr. on July 23, 1948 and spent her first four married years in an apartment on the corner of East 25th Street and Claradon Road, also in Brooklyn where she bore two her two children, Kenneth J. Higgins, Jr. and Valerie A. Riehl. In 1953 they moved to Pompton Lakes, NJ where she resided for 36 years. In 1989, they relocated to Cedar Glen West, in Lakehurst (now Manchester) NJ. Ten years later the moved to Victoria Mews assisted living in Boonton NJ where they lived until entering their new life. Muriel is survived by her two children, Kenneth and Valerie along with three wonderful Grandchildren: Lisa R. Cronin MD, Matthew A. Reihl, Kaitlin A. Higgins and Great Granddaughter Hanna V. Cronin. She lived a good life; she made mistakes, as everyone does. She was a devoted wife and mother: she was always there for us: to sooth our wounds, wipe our tears, or to remind us to brush our teeth. She did the shopping, cleaned the house, worked a part time job, made the meals, washed and ironed the clothes, and upheld law and order. She took time to thank everyone for all she received. The little things mattered to her - a smile, an ornament on Christmas tree, a thank you note, a card, or a trinket. She forgave and forgot - her lasting gift of love and gratitude - bringing us all together even as her body failed. That smile: of love and gratitude will always remain in our hearts.