December 2022 Honor A Deceased Veteran – Henry G. A. Higgitt

Henry G. A. Higgitt
1900-1950

FAMILY HISTORY:
Henry G. A. Higgitt was born on December 9, 1900 in Troy, New York to the William G. and Mary Agnes (Glasheen) Higgitt. He was the brother of Elizabeth, Marcella, Grace, Loretta, Agnes, Florence, William and John.

EDUCATION:
Henry was born and raised in Troy, New York and attended schools in the Troy Public School System before deciding to enlist.

HISTORY:
Henry was a World War I and World War II Veteran and enlisted in the New York Army National Guard at the age of eighteen, and served with Support Company, 2^nd Infantry Division. On December 30, 1919, he enlisted in the United States Navy in Albany, New York. Henry served aboard the USS Eagle, the USS Sacramento, the USS Patonka and the USS Denebola. On January 6, 1928, Henry was honorably discharged.

On January 3, 1944, Henry decided to enlist again into the United States Naval Reserve in Boston, Massachusetts. After he was placed on active duty, Henry was assigned to the USS Mount Olympus, and on June 9, 1946, he was again honorably discharged from the United States Navy. For his brave service, Henry was awarded the World War II Victory Medal and the American Campaign Medal.

PERSONAL:
Henry married his wife, Mabel Francis Linehan in 1927 in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and together they had children: William, Joseph, Frank and Paul. Sadly in 1948, Mabel passed away. On January 8, 1949, Henry married Julia Raleigh in Troy, New York and together they had a son, Henry.

Serving in the military runs in the family. While Henry was serving his country during World War II, his son, William, was also serving in the U.S. Army. Eventually, his other sons also went on to serve along with several of his grandsons.

WORK EXPERIENCE:
Henry was a hardworking man who worked various jobs throughout his life to make sure that his family was always taken care of. He worked for A. Lavelle Construction Company as an iron worker, J.P. Squires Company where he worked as a smoker/cooker at the meat packing and processing facility, Bethlehem Steel Company where he worked as a machinist and operator, and built combat vessels for the Navy, and Ludlow Valve Company where he was the chief engineer at the time of his sudden passing.

COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES/ORGANIZATIONS:
Henry was a proud member of the Trojan Post VFW, the Emerald Club and the National Association of Power Engineers. During his free time, he enjoyed the outdoors, especially the water, coaching kids and attending veteran functions.

Sadly, on June 27, 1950 Henry passed away after becoming ill while umpiring a baseball game at Geer Field.