Deborah Hilton Higgs

Deborah Hilton Higgs passed peacefully into heaven on November 26, 2022 at the age of 86. She was born Deborah Elizabeth Hilton in Salem, Massachusetts on July 17, 1936 to Kathleen Seale Hilton and Donald Everett Hilton. She grew up in the North Shore of Massachusetts in her beloved New England. She graduated from Mary Hitchcock School of Nursing at the Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center. She was awarded the Katherine Ahearn Scholarship to continue her studies at Columbia University. Debby married Gerry Edwin Higgs in 1958 and they had three children: Dr. Geoffrey Higgs, Dr. Elizabeth Higgs, and Ms. Diana Higgs. They were blessed with 64 years of blissful marriage. Debby received her bachelor's and master's degrees in counseling from George Mason University and did her doctoral work at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia. She was inducted into Kappa Omicron Nu National Honor Society. She designed and developed the Internal Family Map, a semi-projective tool that assists family members in mapping their emotions, degree of connectedness, and internal structure. Passionate about her work with families and adolescents, her clients benefitted from her commitment and innovative approaches. Debby loved skating, skiing, spending time at the ocean, reading, and duplicate bridge. She was a voracious reader with a curious intellect. She and Gerry traveled the world together and loved spending time at the beach with family. Most of all she valued family, and her grandchildren meant the world to her. She is survived by her beloved husband, children, and 13 grandchildren: Alexandra Higgs Hanway, Victoria Higgs Hanway, Christian Higgs Hanway, Elizabeth Hilton Earls, Ashley Deborah Higgs, David Higgs Earls, Katherine Loberg Earls, Cameron MacDonald Earls, Margaret Julia Earls, Sophia Higgs Hanway, James Patrick Seale Earls, Charlotte Bessom Earls, and Colin Caswell Earls. Visitation will take place Friday December 2, 2022 between 7 and 9 p.m. at Pierce Funeral Home, 9609 Center Street, Manassas, Virginia. A Celebration of Life Service will take place Saturday December 3 at 11 a.m. at Truro Anglican Church Chapel, 10520 Main Street, Fairfax, Virginia.

Deborah Hilton Higgs

July 17, 1936 - November 26, 2022