Maria Higgins

Maria T. Galindo Lira Higgins passed away surrounded by the love and comfort of her family on Saturday, June 3rd, 2023 at the age of 74 years old. Maria was born in Monterrey, Mexico to Antonio Galindo and Maria Lira in 1949. Married to Thomas Higgins in 1981, they began building a life in the United States and had 3 daughters, Delores, Lois, and Magen. While in the United States, she continuously sent her love to her family back in Mexico; phone calls to her three children, Monse, Jaime, and Claudia, as well as her sisters brought so much joy while she was unable to see them in person. Maria and Thomas moved to West Hartford in 1980 to raise their three girls and quickly found their home to be a safe space full of kindness, acceptance, and love for dozens of friends and family over the decades they lived here. Maria was an amazing grandmother to Liam, Oliver, Eliott, Maxwell, and Lillian and loved them like her own children. Given the nickname Abo (short for Abuelita) by Liam as a child, she treasured being known to her grandchildren and their friends as their Abo. Maria made a living as a housekeeper in West Hartford, and became close friends with many of her clients. Without a driver’s license, she walked to and from work each day with a pep in her step and pride in her ability to provide for herself and her family. She loved taking care of and spending time with her grandchildren more than anything, and has left them with countless beautiful memories to look back on. She overcame so much in her life, from immigrating to America as a young adult without knowing English, to losing her 16 year old daughter Lois in a car accident, and a myriad of other challenges that were beyond difficult to cope with. Despite all of that, she never stopped loving, caring, and being there for anyone that needed her - especially her family. Two years after the tragic death of her daughter in 1997, the Higgins family welcomed Delores’ first son, Liam, who she raised like her own child alongside his parents and the rest of the family. The name Abo held meaning far beyond Abuelita, Mom, or Grandma; Abo was everything to them. As her health began declining in 2022, the last year of her life was not easy. Her family struggled with the surreal experience of watching someone so strong, independent, and determined begin to lose her health. Her daughter and son-in-law, Magen and Brendan, took amazing care of her at their home in Newtown, CT over the last year and stood by her through every difficult, scary moment that presented itself to them. As the end of her time on earth made itself apparent, she wanted nothing more than to be with her family in West Hartford at Delores and Zachary’s (son-in-law) home. Her last few weeks were overflowing with love, laughs, and tears while everyone reminisced on their favorite memories and came to terms with the reality of losing the matriarch of the family. She leaves behind a legacy of love and resilience, and a lifetime of beloved memories that her family holds close to their hearts.

Maria Higgins

June 3, 2023