James R. Higgins, known as Jim, died on November 2, 2026 at his daughter’s home in Ypsilanti, Michigan. He was 93 and a native of Lynn.
He was the son of George and Lena (Amero) Higgins and graduated from Lynn Classical High School. Straight out of school he moved to Alton Bay, New Hampshire, where at 18 he started teaching skiing at Gunstock Mountain Resort in Gilford. The lake and the mountains stayed with him for life; his family says some of his happiest days were spent there skiing, hunting and boating with friends.
Back in Massachusetts he met Ann Marie Cooney, and they were married 44 years until her death in 2003. He worked as a general contractor and then spent 25 years with Cutler Associates Inc. as a construction supervisor. Relatives and friends with something to build or fix knew who to call. Away from the job he listened to Neil Diamond, kept up with a circle of lifelong friends and was content with a cold Sam Adams and a lobster dinner. His family remembers him most at the kitchen table, telling stories and laughing, and writes that his real legacy is not what he built with his hands but the family he built.
He leaves his daughters Sharon Hannafin and her husband Gary of Alton, New Hampshire; Barbara Smolinsky and her partner James Tatarczuk of Seabrook, New Hampshire; and Jodie Higgins Smith and her husband Michael of Ypsilanti; his son-in-law Mark Burggren of Lynn; eight grandchildren, Mark Huggins, Liz Moy, Erin Hannafin, Kimberly Arsenault, Allison Moise, Amelia Watson, Kelsey Hannafin and Michaela Smith; 13 great-grandchildren; his sister Nancy Amidon of Rowley and his brother Paul Higgins of Lynn; and many nieces, nephews and cousins. His wife Ann Marie, his daughter Kerrie Burggren, his brothers George, Russell, Richard and David and his sisters Virginia Carey, Sally DiPrisco and Ellen Dulavitz died before him.
Visitation is Tuesday, November 10, 2026 from 10 a.m. to noon at Solimine Funeral Home, 426 Broadway, Lynn, with a funeral service at noon and burial at Pine Grove Cemetery. Afterward the family invites friends to Gannon Golf Course to keep telling his stories. In place of flowers, donations may be made to Hope for HIE in honor of his great-grandson Robert.
Compiled from information published by Solimine Funeral Homes. Photograph courtesy of the family via Solimine Funeral Homes. This is our own summary, not the family’s obituary; read the full obituary and leave a condolence at the funeral home’s page on Legacy.com. Corrections: we will fix any error promptly.
