On June 29, 2009 two beautiful lives ended in a drowning incident in Northern California. Romila “Angie” Higgins and her 5 year old daughter Indali “Indu” were tragically claimed by a riptide in Montara State Beach. Angie was an accomplished martial artist, business owner and loving mother to Indu and her older sister Jaya. She was also a good friend to me and my students, always willing to help us improve our understanding of karate with passion and skill that is seldom seen. She will be missed but never forgotten by her many friends and admirers. One lasting memory of Angie I will always keep is of her kindness during the illness of my youngest daughter, Christina “Machi”, diagnosed with liver cancer at age twelve in 2000. Angie, a cancer survivor herself, was one of the first people to visit my family as Machi began her 9 month battle with this disease. Our mutual karate teacher, Jim Silvan and Angie spent time in our home to help comfort us in those early and extremely difficult stages. They were also there at the end of Machi’s life despite the pain we all shared. Angie was a fighter and it is my hope that her martial spirit will live on in her daughter and the many others that she so warmly touched in her lifetime.
For those of you who wish to offer condolences and assistance to the Higgins family I suggest making a donation for Jaya at Morgan Stanley Smith Barney in Berkeley, California. Please make your check payable to CGMI with “Jayanti Higgins” on the memo line. For more information regarding this process please contact Julie Baeder at (510) 486-2406 or by email at julie.baeder@smithbarney.com.
To Angie and Indu, our love and thanks for all you have done and will continue to do. From your friends and extended family in the RyuBuKan Dojo.
