Claudia Higginbotham

Claudia Sydow Higginbotham was born to Garland and Elita Fae Sydow on June 13, 1937, in Gatesville, Texas, and immediately set herself to a long life of love, compassion, caring, and devotion to family, friends, acquaintances, and strangers. She resided in Gatesville until reaching the ninth grade in 1951; her family including siblings Reg, Fran and Jay, then moved to Huntsville, Texas, where she would live until she went to nursing school in Houston and received her diploma as a Registered Nurse in 1958. During her time at school in Huntsville, she met the man who would become her husband of 67 years and three months, Nathan Lewis Higginbotham; they married on October 25, 1958. Before he left the service in 1962, they lived in Houston, where they welcomed their daughter, Cathy, in 1961. Claudia worked at Methodist Hospital and put Nathan through college after he rejoined civilian life. Their son, Brian, was born in 1963 in Houston. There were several moves in Claudia's life, some necessitated by Nathan's military service and later by his career. She lived in many places in Texas, Kansas, Idaho, Oregon, as well as London, England, and New Jersey; home was always Houston for her, though, and in 1986 she declared when moving back to Houston, after having lived in 17 different houses, five in Houston, that it was her last move. Anyone who knew Claudia knows that she didn't make many declarations, but when she did, they stood. An avid participant in athletics, Claudia always had an interest in the health of body and mind. She was a consummate tennis player and runner. She competed in dozens of races, including marathons, and had a wall of trophies as proof of her accomplishments. Always one to challenge herself, she was happily recruited by her sister, Fran, to run with her in their first marathon in Boston. During her running career, she trained tirelessly, and when she decided to no longer run, she walked for miles at a time, as everyone in her neighborhood will attest. Claudia loved art, especially Impressionism. Living in London and having Western Europe so close at hand, she used every opportunity to visit museum collections and exhibitions as often as possible. She visited museums and cathedrals in London, Paris, Amsterdam, Brussels and Prague multiple times and never tired of discovering and rediscovering the delight she found in artistic expression. Claudia's brother Jay was a collage artist living in New York City, and she was a dedicated patron and admirer of his work. She used every opportunity to visit him and spent that time exploring all the museums and sites the city had to offer. There was no challenge Claudia couldn't overcome, whether intellectual or physical. She was a voracious reader and consumer of information of all kinds. She could absorb the most complicated ideas and procedures and simplify and improve upon them. She was a master of efficiency and organization. There was nothing, to her, that couldn't be conquered through the application of elbow grease and/or focus. She appreciated work for work's sake and the feeling of accomplishment from a job completed well. One had to be cautious about speculating out loud that any sort of work needed to be done, because she would set to it right away. Claudia possessed a brilliant intellect and wit. She was quick to study all manner of subjects and able to converse about them freely. She never lost pace with the progress of ideas or technology and was always among the first to take up new tools and use them to her own and others' advantage. She welcomed the advent of mobile devices and social media and the connections they afforded her, especially with her grandchildren and great-grandchild. Claudia's grandchildren were a gift to her and a constant fountain of joy. She and Nathan were dedicated grandparents to all four grandchildren—Tim, Katie, Jessi, and Ben—and their great-grandchild, Nellie. Claudia was enamored with them all and never passed up a chance to spend as much time as possible with them. She planned trips with them both domestically and abroad and took them to local museums, parks, and events, played sports with them, attended their sports events and provided unending love. She offered boundless love and support in all their endeavors. The church provided many avenues to apply Claudia’s skills, aptitude and work ethic. She and Nathan joined the Christian Church in November, 1958 at the urging of Claudia’s mother as they were searching for a church family in Topeka, Kansas. In Houston they found the congregation at Bethany Christian Church in 1967. She was the youngest woman to be elected as president of the Christian Women’s Fellowship and she and another woman were the first women to serve communion at Bethany. In 1980 Claudia became an active lay member of Cypress Creek Christian Church where she served in a number of ministries. She was one of the first Stephen Ministry Leaders and worked tirelessly on church landscaping; after Hurricane Harvey in 2017, she was a key leader and laborer in cleaning up and restoring the church. She was insistent on the use of inclusive language and equitable treatment in the ministry of the church Claudia and Nathan received the Christian Church Foundation’s Harry T. Ice award for personal generosity, leadership in philanthropy and love of and commitment to the Christian Church denomination in 2019. Claudia passed away on January 24, 2026, and is survived by her husband, Nathan; their son, Brian; her sister, Fran; and her four grandchildren and great-grandchild: Tim; Katie and her husband, Boston, and their daughter, Nellie; Jessi and her husband, Datrel; and Ben. She will be missed by cousins, nieces, nephews, and great-nieces and great-nephews. ᐧ In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to Cypress Creek Christian Church.

Claudia Higginbotham

June 13, 1937 - January 24, 2026