Gary Edward Higbie

Gary Edward Higbie’s story began on February 25, 1953, at Queens Hospital in Jamaica, New York, as the third of four children of Clarence William “Kirby” and Virginia Irene “Ginny” Higbie. As an infant, the family relocated from New York to Cleveland, Ohio, before eventually settling in Atlanta, Georgia, where Gary graduated from Ridgeview High School in 1971.

Upon graduation, Gary enrolled at Georgia State University, but after completing one semester and being recruited by the US Air Force, he decided to enlist in 1972 for service during the Vietnam War. He completed basic training at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, TX, and was then stationed in Biloxi, MS, and Warner Robbins, GA, before deploying to Wiesbaden, Germany in early 1973 as a member of the 5th Mobile Communications Group (“MOB”). His quick aptitude for electronics and the emerging field of computing made him a prime candidate to assume the newly-created MOS role of “Navigation System Engineer” – a position replacing the bombardier for dropping aid packages, supplies, and bombs from B-52s using GPS for the first time. His skill in the 9-man assembly of the on-the-ground communications hubs led him to a quick promotion to Sergeant and training others on the paratrooping process. He would stay in Germany until 1976, commuting back-and-forth between East Berlin to West Berlin, where he befriended many of the guards despite the tensions of the city at the time, with a role supporting the upgrades of the WWII-era computing infrastructure. This journey also took him on multiple top-secret missions resupplying the Khmer Republic during the Cambodian Civil War.

While Gary was proud of his military service, he rarely spoke about his missions, humbly preferring the honor to veterans go to the “boots on the ground” infantry members despite the many important missions he flew and risks assumed from his role.

Upon returning home, the experience Gary had gained in electronics and computers sparked an interest in medical technology that would jumpstart his civilian career. Along with 4 partners, he founded Transquick Medical Transcription and pioneered the development of systems for transcription and digitization of medical records and documentation and their company was eventually acquired by Rodeer Systems. Always an entrepreneur with a gift for problem-solving, Gary’s career took another turn in September of 2001, when he founded a new company, Interfix, which focused on interfaces for the medical transcription industry. With his business partner, Scott Faulkner, Gary enjoyed more than 14 years in business, creating thousands of medical interfaces still in use today with over 30,000 customers worldwide accessing their Benchmark KB product. A United States patent bears his name.

But 2001 would prove even more important for a different reason, when one evening Gary agreed to “wingman” for his friend and temporary roommate at Wild Bill’s nightclub. There, he met a strikingly beautiful Aussie who had been eyeing him all evening and who began a conversation that would last for 24 years and was punctuated by their marriage on July 9, 2005. Together they built highly successful businesses in Atlanta but would retreat to the Blue Ridge Mountains Gary so loved eventually settling at their lake home that would become his true happy place and passion project for many years, including a memorial fire pit area he was overseeing right through his hospice care.

The other great loves of Gary’s life were his black Labradors, first Carina, then Sheila “The Amazing Wonder Dog!” Sheila was his constant companion for the last 12 years and was with him through countless hikes, boat rides, brewery visits, and cuddles through the last several years of illness and treatment before her passing last year. She could recover any stick thrown from anywhere, was incredibly gentle with children, and had a loyalty to Gary that couldn’t be quantified. The family takes comfort in knowing they’re reunited.

Active and adventurous his entire life, Gary ran the Peachtree Road Race 25 consecutive years, participated in sprint triathlons and was the 347th cave diver certified worldwide with a particular love for Manatee Springs. He also loved the tropical dives of the Caribbean, and the vibrance of dives in Australia and the Great Barrier Reef. His love for the outdoors was punctuated with hiking trips, deer hunting, duck hunting, fishing, sailing and safaris. This love of travel was certainly shared with Perri, and they took many incredible trips together including Greece (for their honeymoon), Egypt, Australia, Caribbean, France, Turkey, and one particularly exciting adventure in South Africa – Gary’s favorite trip of all time – where he came face-to-face with a bull elephant while attempting to relieve himself in a story that put him much closer to the writing of this text than he preferred.

Gary was preceded in death by his aforementioned parents, older brother (who looked up to him, despite being the elder) Bruce Higbie, and older sister Pamela Cook, with whom he battled cancer with nightly check-ins for over three years before her passing earlier this year. Left to grieve but honor his amazing legacy are the love of his life, Perri, younger sister Candy (Joe) Cooper of Jefferson, GA, sister-in-law Carol Higbie of Flowery Branch, GA, brother-in-law Skip Cook of Mineral Bluff, GA, the Dodge/Miller Families (his step-daughter Jen and husband Mike by marriage) of Pittsburgh, PA, and the Barnett/Brown families, his in-laws from Brisbane, Australia. He also is survived by several nieces and nephews, and many great nieces and nephews, whom he loved to entertain on his pontoon boat on Lake Blue Ridge.

Gary maintained a great deal of zeal for life through his final days, religiously tuning in to watch his beloved Braves, Falcons, Georgia Bulldogs, and the Vancouver Canucks. His adventurous spirit, kindness to people and animals, charismatic storytelling, integrity, philanthropy (a staunch supporter of The Wounded Warrior Project and St. Jude’s Children Hospital), courage and true brilliance – especially for things mechanical and computers– will be especially missed by the many, many people who were privileged to know him.

A Celebration of Life will be held Saturday, November 9, 2024at 2:00pm at The Church at St. John, located at 550 Mt. Paran Rd NW, Atlanta, GA 30327, where his parents were founding members, he married his precious wife, and remained an active donor and member all of his life. In lieu of flowers, please make donations in Gary’s name to organizations he cared most deeply for, PANCAN (which he became a fervent supporter of after his brother’s passing), or The Church at St. John.