Lesli Marie Higginson
Lesli Marie Higginson died at St. Joseph Hospital in Bellingham on January 6, 2023 after bravely and stoically battling ovarian cancer for 4-1/2 years. She was 62. Lesli was a 4th generation descendant of the Higginson pioneer family in Whatcom County on her father’s side and a 5th generation descendant of the Rosler pioneer family in San Juan County on her mother’s side.
Lesli was born September 16, 1960 in Seattle to William and Jean Marie Higginson. She joined older sisters Carla and Jaya. A younger sister Lisa arrived five years later to complete the family.
Lesli graduated from Lake Washington High School in 1978 and went directly to college at Western Washington University. However, after two years, she decided that her chosen major as an accountant was not of interest, so she spent most of the next ten years working in the fishing industry in Alaska. While there, she met her future husband Bernard Fernandez who was a king crab fisherman at the time. She finished her fishing career as the Human Resources Director of the Icicle Seafoods processing plant in Bellingham. Lesli then returned to Western Washington University. She graduated with a B.S. in Environmental Science in 1996 while pregnant with her son Andrew, who was born in 1997 and was the greatest joy of her life. Lesli obtained her Masters in Molecular Biology from Western Washington University in 2002. She worked as a Water Quality Specialist with the City of Bellingham for five years and then became an Environmental Engineer with the British Petroleum Cherry Point refinery, where she remained for 15 years, continuing to work through the majority of her cancer treatment until illness forced an early retirement. She found her work challenging and rewarding, and she was well-liked by her co-workers.
After Lesli and Bernard divorced, they still treated each other as family. Lesli then fell in love with Robert Doyer; the couple intended to marry but he died unexpectedly of cancer after only two years together. Lesli cared for him devotedly during his illness and was heart-broken at his loss.
Lesli made lifelong friends with whom she remained very connected. She was talented at renovations and house repairs and the projects brought her great satisfaction. (She was actually re-tarring the roof of her house while 9 months pregnant with Andrew and went into labor during that job.) Lesli enjoyed doing many things, from attending the Seattle Opera with Carla, to camping and enjoying the outdoors with Andrew, to shopping (she had an astonishing collection of shoes and often wished that she could wear 3” heels to work), to crafting handmade presents for friends and family. She loved huge family dinners especially at Thanksgiving and Christmas. Lesli was strong-minded, independent, and active, and she knew how to enjoy life with a playful and whimsical approach. She was a dedicated daughter, a loving mother, a supportive sister, and a caring friend.
Lesli was preceded in death by her parents William and Jean Marie Higginson, her niece Christie Marie Higginson, and her fiancé Robert Doyer. She is survived by her son Andrew Hollis Higginson of Ferndale, her sister Carla Jean Higginson of Friday Harbor (Garrett J. Beyer), her sister Jaya Marie Sigo of Suquamish (David C. Sigo), her sister Lisa Rae McEntire of Pacific (Mike McEntire), her nephew Aaron Jacob McEntire (Andrea McEntire) of Marysville, and her nephew Ryan Joel Sigo of Suquamish. She also leaves her former husband Bernard Fernandez of Bellingham, her co-workers from BP, and many good friends from many places. Lesli will always be remembered with joy and love.
