Benjamin “Ben” Dale Higgins, 37, passed away on Sunday, June 13, 2021, on Stove Prairie Road in Rist Canyon, Fort Collins, Colorado. Ben died in a bicycle accident while participating in a 100-mile charity fundraising ride.
Ben’s life was filled with deep love for his family. He was the third of four children, born to Randall “Randy” Alan and Mary Louise Meck Higgins on March 23, 1984. Over the years, he especially enjoyed being with his daughter, Trinity, who is now 15 years old. He was renowned among his family, friends, and colleagues for his smile, love, gentleness, patience, kindness, and thoughtfulness, and for being a devoted father and well-organized, self-giving man.
On May 14, 2021, Ben married Pamela Priscilla Babila, a lifelong Californian and a trauma nurse. They had worked together since 2015 and dated for nearly three years. They enjoyed traveling, sharing time with friends and family, sipping new Californian wines, cooking and eating spicy foods, and long walks together. They had planned to celebrate their union with family and friends with a wedding reception in December.
Ben graduated from Manhattan High School in Manhattan, Kansas, in 2002 and earned a B.S. in Kinesiology from Kansas State University in 2007. On May 15, 2015, Ben graduated (with straight A’s!) with a Master of Physician Assistant Practice degree from the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California. He was hired by the Emergency Department at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, California, where he was respected for his calm and personable bedside manner, his problem-solving skills, and his thorough clinical care.
Ben was an accomplished endurance athlete. An avid rower in both high school and college, Ben moved within weeks of graduating from Kansas State University to the Los Angeles area, where he was a coach for the Marina Aquatic Center Junior Rowing team at the UCLA Marina Aquatic Center in Marina del Rey. He also enjoyed playing ultimate frisbee, camping, and climbing. Ben completed three Iron Man competitions and numerous marathons, ultramarathons, and triathlons. He was a longtime member of the Southern California Team In Training.
Ben was preceded in death by his father. Those left to honor his memory are his wife Priscilla, daughter Trinity, mother Mary, sisters Stephanie (Adam) and Michelle (Seth), brother Keith (Erica), paternal grandparents, nieces and nephews, and numerous other extended family members and friends.
His family suggests making a contribution in his honor, if desired, to the Ben Higgins Memorial Fund (at https://chuffed.org/project/ben-higgins-memorial-fund). Another way to honor his memory would be to contribute to the Tomorrow Link Heroes Helping Heroes EMS Training Fund established in honor of Ben Higgins (at http://tomorrowlink.org/heroes). This Denver-based, non-profit, whole-body donation organization focuses on helping emergency medicine providers receive the best possible training in advanced critical care skills and is where Ben is doing his final teaching.
His family wishes to express their sincere gratitude to the compassionate volunteers who found and assisted Ben at the site of his bicycle accident.
A celebration of Ben’s full but too-short life will be held at the Santa Monica Bay Woman’s Club, 1210 Fourth Street, Santa Monica, California on Sunday, June 27, from 1 to 4 pm. Food trucks will serve refreshments outside. We ask that all guests wear a face mask because of COVID-19 precautions.
Online condolences may be left for the family at https://greenwoodmyersfuneral.com or by sending photos or stories to memoriesofben365247@gmail.com
To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Benjamin Higgins, please visit our flower store.
Ben’s life was filled with deep love for his family. He was the third of four children, born to Randall “Randy” Alan and Mary Louise Meck Higgins on March 23, 1984. Over the years, he especially enjoyed being with his daughter, Trinity, who is now 15 years old. He was renowned among his family, friends, and colleagues for his smile, love, gentleness, patience, kindness, and thoughtfulness, and for being a devoted father and well-organized, self-giving man.
On May 14, 2021, Ben married Pamela Priscilla Babila, a lifelong Californian and a trauma nurse. They had worked together since 2015 and dated for nearly three years. They enjoyed traveling, sharing time with friends and family, sipping new Californian wines, cooking and eating spicy foods, and long walks together. They had planned to celebrate their union with family and friends with a wedding reception in December.
Ben graduated from Manhattan High School in Manhattan, Kansas, in 2002 and earned a B.S. in Kinesiology from Kansas State University in 2007. On May 15, 2015, Ben graduated (with straight A’s!) with a Master of Physician Assistant Practice degree from the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California. He was hired by the Emergency Department at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, California, where he was respected for his calm and personable bedside manner, his problem-solving skills, and his thorough clinical care.
Ben was an accomplished endurance athlete. An avid rower in both high school and college, Ben moved within weeks of graduating from Kansas State University to the Los Angeles area, where he was a coach for the Marina Aquatic Center Junior Rowing team at the UCLA Marina Aquatic Center in Marina del Rey. He also enjoyed playing ultimate frisbee, camping, and climbing. Ben completed three Iron Man competitions and numerous marathons, ultramarathons, and triathlons. He was a longtime member of the Southern California Team In Training.
Ben was preceded in death by his father. Those left to honor his memory are his wife Priscilla, daughter Trinity, mother Mary, sisters Stephanie (Adam) and Michelle (Seth), brother Keith (Erica), paternal grandparents, nieces and nephews, and numerous other extended family members and friends.
His family suggests making a contribution in his honor, if desired, to the Ben Higgins Memorial Fund (at https://chuffed.org/project/ben-higgins-memorial-fund). Another way to honor his memory would be to contribute to the Tomorrow Link Heroes Helping Heroes EMS Training Fund established in honor of Ben Higgins (at http://tomorrowlink.org/heroes). This Denver-based, non-profit, whole-body donation organization focuses on helping emergency medicine providers receive the best possible training in advanced critical care skills and is where Ben is doing his final teaching.
His family wishes to express their sincere gratitude to the compassionate volunteers who found and assisted Ben at the site of his bicycle accident.
A celebration of Ben’s full but too-short life will be held at the Santa Monica Bay Woman’s Club, 1210 Fourth Street, Santa Monica, California on Sunday, June 27, from 1 to 4 pm. Food trucks will serve refreshments outside. We ask that all guests wear a face mask because of COVID-19 precautions.
Online condolences may be left for the family at https://greenwoodmyersfuneral.com or by sending photos or stories to memoriesofben365247@gmail.com
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