John Higdon

Canton John Allen Higdon, 88, formerly of 337 Vanderbilt Road, went to be with the Lord on Tuesday, May 20, 2014 at Silver Bluff Village where he had resided the past two years. A native of Proctor, NC, he had resided in Asheville most of his life. Prior to returning to Asheville, he was a resident of Huntsville, AL from 19481968 where he was the District Operations Manager in the Huntsville area for Capital Airlines, served as General Manager of WAFG Television Station and Publisher of Huntsville News in Huntsville, AL. Mr. Higdon was Owner & Operator of the Hickory Farms in Asheville, Hendersonville and Hickory, was a member of the Asheville Breakfast Rotary Club, was a member and former President of Sons of American Revolution, was a member of Biltmore United Methodist Church where he held many offices, served on the Board of Directors of Salvation Army for the past 50 years in both Huntsville, AL and Asheville, was a member of the Biltmore Masonic Lodge #446 where he was former Chaplain, was a member of the Land of Sky Oasis Shriners Temple, was past Commander of the U.S. Power Squadron and served in the U.S. Navy in the South Pacific during WWII. Mr. Higdon was a son of the late John Wanamaker Higdon and Mary Crisp Higdon and husband of Bonnie Ruth Culbertson Higdon who died December 29, 2012. He was also preceded in death by his two sisters, Mary Ellen Ingram and Christine Cook. Surviving are his sons, Thomas A. Higdon and wife Patsy of Candler and William Mark Higdon and wife Cameron of Waynesville; four grandsons and seven great-grandchildren; and brother, Lou Higdon and wife Carol of Asheville. Graveside services will be held at 11 AM Friday, May 23, 2014 at Lewis Memorial Park with Rev. Jackie Collins officiating. Military graveside rites will be conducted by NC National Guard. The family will receive friends immediately following services at the cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to: Salvation Army of Asheville, 204 Haywood Street, Asheville, NC 28801.