Shelby S. Higgs

Shelby Strickland Higgs, of Waynesboro left us peacefully on Sunday, September 21, 2025, in Fishersville, VA.

She was born September 11, 1939, and raised in Reidsville, North Carolina.

She is survived by her husband John Higgs; her children, Susan Higgs and her husband, Chad Miller, Robert Higgs and his wife Angela Higgs; her sisters Vivian Pearson and Vanesa Souther; and grandson Duncan Miller.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Bert Stewart Strickland and Gladys McKinney Strickland; her sister, Hilda Gammond, and her brothers, Bennie, David, and Melvin Strickland.

A viewing will be held at Barren Ridge Vineyards in Fishersville, Virginia on Monday, September 29, 2025, from 6:00 – 8:00 PM and a graveside service will be held at Thornrose Cemetery on Tuesday, September 30, 2025, at 11:00 AM.

Shelby graduated from High Point University in North Carolina with a degree in business. She would have preferred to pursue a degree in Literature but wanted to ensure a way of making an independent living.

In 1962 she found work as a social worker for Augusta County and moved to Staunton, VA. It was there that she met John Higgs whom she married after he returned from the Army in 1965. They moved to Little Ferry, New Jersey near the entrance of the Lincoln Tunnel that connected to New York City. She supported John while he pursued his academics. She worked in several diverse occupations including being an account executive for Liberty Mutual Insurance, a High School teacher, and a trainer in a Business School. While some in the North may have considered her deeply southern North Carolina accent a detriment, she was always able to turn it into an asset. She was quite proud to not let the South down.

In 1969 daughter Susan was born and the next year they moved to Charlottesville, VA, while John was in graduate school at UVA. The next year, Robert was born.

In 1971 the family moved to Richmond, VA. where John began his career with Philip Morris. John later began working with PM’s international interests. It was during that time John worked for a few months in Australia and Shelby was able to visit him there.

In 1992 Shelby joined John in a project in Izmir, Turkey for 3 years. Shelby became well versed in the Turkish language and culture. The Turkish people were quite puzzled and then delighted when they realized she spoke Turkish with a southern accent. She became an enthusiastic travel guide when family and friends from the US visited.

In 1995 they moved to Neuchâtel, Switzerland while John was working for PM international in Eastern European countries. Once again, she dove into the culture and language and welcomed all visitors from the US and friends made in other countries.

In 2000 they retired while still living in Switzerland and eventually moved back to their home in Richmond, VA. In 2004 Shelby and John began working on a project to transform his family’s abandoned apple orchard into a vineyard and winery. That project is Barren Ridge Vineyards in Fishersville, VA. Shelby dedicated herself to it with every ounce of energy and creativity she had, as she did with every aspect of her life.

With all her many accomplishments the one she was most proud of is how well she raised her children.

Instead of flowers memorial contributions may be made to Blue Ridge Area Food Bank (PO Box 937, 96 Laurel Hill Road, Verona, VA 24482).