Shelley’s local veterinarian Charles Wilson Higham passed away

SHELLEY:  Longtime practicing veterinarian Dr. Charles (Chuck) Wilson Higham passed away Thursday, August 17, at the age of 92. (See obituary.)

In 1959, Chuck and his wife Rehle moved their small family to Shelley, where they purchased a home on North State Street on the city’s north side. He converted the garage into an office for Charles Higham Veterinary Clinic.

Dr. Higham practiced as a large and small animal veterinarian, caring for the local area farmers’ cattle and horses while caring for the city’s residents’ cats, dogs, and rabbits. He practiced as a veterinarian for 65 years, retiring at the age of 90 at the insistence of his children.

Dr.Higham was, first and foremost, a family man. He and his wife Rehle had seven children, many of whom remain in the community. You would always see him at golf meets, the baseball park, the football field, or the school gymnasium, cheering on his children and grandchildren. To Chuck, family meant everything.

Dr. Higham was a civic individual. He served three 3-year terms on the school board from 1972 to 1981. He served on the board with the likes of Boyd Huntsman, a local grocer, Cecil Dale Jolley, a site employee, and Harvard Bitter, a local farm. He also served with Donald J. Hobbs, who was superintendent of the Shelley school district from 1963 to 1984.

“He was a great man,” Coach Richard Hobbs, son of Donald J. Hobbs, said.” My father trusted his wisdom and judgment while he served on the board with him.”

Dr. Higham loved and served the youth in the community. He was awarded the Silver Beaver, the highest honor the Boy Scouts of America gave out in 1992, because of his exemplary service to the youth. He also coached for several years Little League baseball.

Many who knew Dr. Higham knew him to be a religious and devout member of his faith. He served as bishop over his congregation for several years and many other callings. He and his wife served an LDS mission in Tampa, Florida.

He will be greatly missed in our community. But his legacy lives on in his children and grandchildren who still live in the Shelley area.

Funeral services will be held at 12:00 noon on Monday, August 21, 2023, at the Shelley First Ward, 184 North Park, in Shelley. The family will visit with friends and loved ones on Sunday, August 20, from 6:00 – 7:30 p.m. at Nalder Funeral Home, 110 West Oak, in Shelley, and from 10:30 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. at the church prior to services. Burial will be in the Taylor Cemetery in Shelley, Idaho.

Those who would like to participate in the funeral service remotely are invited to view the service on a live broadcast at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVgEV-cTxkDv2FPDSKR4T6g/videos