William “Terry” Higdon died on December 25, 2025, after a courageous battle with dementia and Alzheimer’s. He was 78.
A longtime fixture in the Rio Grande Valley sports community and a respected leader in officiating circles, Terry built a life around work, family, and the games he loved.
Terry was born on October 9, 1947, in Paducah, Kentucky, and spent his childhood between Fancy Farm, Kentucky, and El Monte, California.
He graduated from Bishop Amat Memorial High School, where he met his first wife. Early on, he worked as a grocery store manager before attending the police academy and serving as a police officer in Monterey Park.
In 1978, he and his family relocated to McAllen, Texas, where he joined the family construction business and, five years later, launched his own company, TnT Maintenance.
He ran that business successfully as a general contractor and remodeling specialist until his health forced him to slow down in 2021.
Terry always had a passion for sports
Sport was the constant thread through Terry’s life. Known for his calm presence and clear judgment.
He became one of the Rio Grande Valley’s top high-school officials, working baseball, football, and basketball across South Texas.
Terry also spent more than 25 years umpiring at the NCAA college level and served more than four decades within the Southwest Officials Association and TASO.
In recognition of his contributions to the profession, he was inducted into the Mexican Baseball Umpires Hall of Fame in 2012.
His on-field career concluded in 2018, but the impact of his mentorship and professionalism lived on in the many officials he trained and guided.
Off the field, Terry was the kind of person people wanted at the table. A person who always used to joke around, he loved poker nights with friends and family, card games that became traditions.
The RGV TASO Baseball Chapter expressed sorrow at his passing, calling him “an excellent umpire and a mentor to many members that are still active within our chapter,” and extended heartfelt condolences to the Higdon family.
He also had an interest in cooking and baking; his pumpkin cake, grapefruit pie, and Hershey chocolate cake were favorites at gatherings.
He liked a good laugh, trips to Las Vegas, and hometown summers in Kentucky during picnic season.
Terry faced his final years with the same quiet determination he showed in work and sport.
As dementia progressed, he stepped back from day-to-day business duties but remained close to family and friends.
He remarried in 2020 and is survived by his wife, three children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. He was predeceased by his first wife and other close family members.
Visitation will be held at Kreidler Funeral Home in McAllen on Saturday, January 17, 2026, beginning at 10:00 a.m., with a service at 11:00 a.m.
Terry Higdon’s legacy is straightforward: a life of steady work, a love for sport that shaped a community, and a knack for bringing people together, at a job site, behind home plate, or at the card table.
He will be remembered not for fanfare but for the quiet competence and good humor he brought to everything he did.
If you want to make any donations, it can be made to the American Dementia/Alzheimer’s Association for research.
