Alice M. Kalinoski Higgins, 89, passed away Thursday at Elijah’s Place, Oshkosh, WI. Alice was born in Racine, May 6, 1927, daughter of the late Elmer and Catherine (Nee: Toy) Jurgens.
Alice was married (1945) and raised her first family (Ron and Richard) with Lewis Kalinoski, a successful sheet metal contractor in Racine. Later Alice married Carl Higgins and helped to raise his two daughters (Brenda and Michelle) —part of the time in the Milwaukee area.
Throughout her working career Alice was employed at several places including: Teweles Seed Company in Milwaukee, Carpenter Brothers, and last employed at St. Mary’s Medical Center until her retirement. Later in life Alice worked as a Certified Nursing Assistant and in one case worked for the family of the Commissioner Emeritus of Baseball, Bud Selig.
She was a remarkably steadfast and devoted mother who found a myriad of imaginative ways to enrich the lives of her children and her relatives. Despite being a child of the Great Depression, Alice persistently celebrated the lives of those around her; she was animated, vivacious and stubbornly generous. And she was a dancer—finding opportunities to dance socially well into her eighties. Alice’s life was full of celebration and fun—and she shared that spirit graciously with others. Her life was a mix of joyous levity and practicality.
Much of her life Alice was an avid cook. Her recipes are revered and her dinners for invited guests were memorable occasions characterized by a hint of Americana—a special apple pie.
In her several careers she was a disciplined and loyal employee—as a professional bookkeeper she was noted for her careful organization. In domestic life she was a paradigm of wise budgeting—a model for others. She was an ardent saver and someone who would spend long hours preparing or fashioning a gift for her children or her grandchildren/nephews and nieces. She loved, actively.
After surgery for cancer in 2010 Alice was stricken by a form of dementia—a pernicious thief which steals one’s identity. But Alice sustained a measure of charm and wit even as her life became more tenuous. Alice’s family wishes to express their appreciation for the assiduous care and remarkable forbearance of the caregivers led by Mallory Mueller at Elijah’s Place of Oshkosh, WI. Elijah’s Place proved to be an example of devotion in supporting the dignity of its residents, including Alice. Alice’s family thanks the entire staff—mightily.
She is already missed by her children, Ronald Kalinoski of Tucson, AZ, Richard Kalinoski of Oshkosh, WI, Michele (Brian) Krumrei of Sacramento, CA, Brenda Higgins of Dallas, TX; her five grandchildren, Maya, Mieka, Roman and Alexis Kalinoski, Caitlin Kalinoski of Brooklyn, NY; brothers and sister, William (Elaine) Jurgens of LaCrosse, WI, Robert (Joanne) Jurgens of AZ, Nadeen (Hank) Garbers of Racine; nieces, nephews, other relatives and many dear and enduring friends.
A Memorial Service will be held on Saturday at 2 p.m. at the Maresh-Meredith and Acklam Funeral Home, 803 Main Street, Racine, Wisconsin. Memorials to the Alzheimer’s Foundation have been suggested.
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