I was very saddened to hear of Bryon's passing. In the 1960's Bryon and I were both students in the Honours History Program at U.W.O. Bryon was a conscientious student, good friend and always positive. He was very appreciative of his step mother and always spoke positively about her and his Muskoka roots.

     We enjoyed our visits to Bryon and Janet in Wingham and Elmira and in particular Bryon's beautiful flower gardens. In moving to Elmira Bryon and Janet certainly chose wisely. Theirs and their family's school, community and church involvement enriched their lives, and the community. I always appreciated his easygoing, happy manner. He made a difference to many. The impact of his teaching and mentoring will be long remembered. He was truly a gentle man.

 I have fond memories being a student of Mr. Higgs at EDSS.  I was fortunate to be able to enjoy his passion for history in two separate years.  He was a wonderful educator who inspired me to always critically think about all aspects of history.  Mr. Higgs always made me want to do better and his lively and fun demeanour made his classes memorable.

I can only imagine how his energetic and incredible personality resonated in his personal life with those close to him.  My thoughts go out to all is family at this very sad time.

Warm regards,

Nicole Papke

Bryon was a lifelong teacher, perfectly suited to his profession. Here’s what Bryon taught me:

Janet: To seize the day and leap from thinking to doing.

Heather: All the words from popular 1950 and 60’s songs, that Muskoka is a beautiful place, the names of most flowers and that hard work and determination will take you far in life.

Stephen: Family is important, he was careful to be fair and treat all 3 kids equally, business, markets, and humans in general, often act irrationally and this exasperated hiim, the world is about to flood, or maybe be buried under snow, or…

Kelly: Given that my Dad was my first and will always be my finest teacher it is challenging to keep this succinct.  One of the key things I learned from him is that lacking natural ability, talent or knowledge are not legitimate reasons to give up on a pursuit. He taught me that hard work, disciplined effort and perseverance can make up for most deficits in natural ability, knowledge or talent.  He also taught me that hospital jello should be avoided at all costs.  :-) 

Chris: That it is ok to be yourself and live life on your own terms. And never buy a split level house.

Vivian: To be compassionate, non-judgmental and open-minded. In my 16 years knowing Dad, he had never spoken ill of anyone. Except Donald Trump. And that Canadian bacon is the best in the world.

Maya: To be a loving and kind soul. Even the smallest gestures can make a difference in someone’s day. And how to mow a lawn properly.

Elena: Grandpa jokes are even cheesier than Dad jokes. You are never too young to learn about stocks.  

     I knew Bryon Higgs throughout his teaching career at Elmira District Secondary School, where we both taught.  In approximately 1969 he invited me to his house for the evening once a week for almost three months to watch the television series, "Civilisation" by Kenneth Clark, since I did not have cable at the time.  After the viewings we talked about history, his interest in teaching current events to the students, and also about the growing of roses.  At the school he was always interested in talking with me, Bob Huschka, and others about topics like speed reading and politics, about which we did not always agree.  Yet the having of such discussions did a lot to help create the sense of an educated community which made Elmira D.S.S. such a special school for so many teachers and students.

     In recent years I remember sitting beside him at Bob Huschka's memorial gathering at the Concordia Club, where he came to the front to give a heart-felt impromptu tribute to Bob, his long time colleague.  For several years we enjoyed his presence at the retired teachers' luncheons, and earlier this year on May 25, 2017 I had my last exchange of views with him at The Harvest Moon in St. Jacobs, where we spoke about European politics.

     My daughter Sylvia fondly remembers his kind personality when he taught her history in Grade 13.  Our family wishes to express our sympathy at your loss.
                                             - Bill Exley

                      
    

We, Jim & Isabel Bauman, would often see Bryon walking his two dogs Ghillie and Brodie on the Great Trail (KBT) behind our house morning and evening in all kinds of weather. We admired his tenacity and endurance. When biking or walking I'd always say hi or stop and talk after trying to manouvre around his dogs who were usually trailing him.

Our deepest sympathy to Janet and the family.

Jim and Isabel Bauman
beside the Kissing Bridge Trail       

The distance between Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and Elmira is 14,804km. It's an 18 hours flight, not including ground travel and transit time and 12 hours in time difference. 

I don't know how Dad felt about traveling so far to meet his daughter-in-law and her family 15 years ago but I'm sure it was great adventure for him, Mum and their best friends Bruce and Debra Whale. Mum and Dad even went to Singapore and Thailand as well. Thinking back, I regret not giving Dad a taste of Durian, dubbed as the King of Fruits in Malaysia when he was in KL. I wonder what he would think of the funky smelling, custard textured fruit. I think he would have loved it. Because Dad was quite adventrous with his palate. 

Take a look at his spice and sauce he stocked up. Cumin, garam marsala, chinese five spice. Thai sauce. Cumin. Cumin. Yes, Dad loved his cumin, which also happened to be my favourite spice. When I saw how much cumin he had in the pantry, I was inspired to make a dish which would allow me to use the spice that December afternoon in 2015: shakshuka. It is a Middle Eastern, Northern African and Jewish dish of eggs poached in a sauce of tomatoes, chili peppers, and onions, spiced with cumin and paprika. In my humble opinion, it is the cumin that rounds up the dish. No cumin, no shakshuka.

Dad was planning on eat his beans when he saw or rather smelled what I made. I scooped some onto his plate, toasted a slice of bread for him to dip into the hearty sauce. He took his plate to the living room where he would watch the news with his lunch. When he was done, he told me it was really good. I asked him it was the cumin and he said yes. He asked for the recipe. I don't know if he ever made shakshuka on his own, but I was glad to have made him a dish with his favourite spice.

And I kept cooking my favourite dishes which he took a liking too. Guinness Beef Stew was one of his favourite. I remember getting him to take me to the LCBO to look for Guinness. We ended up buying different porter and dark beer to make them. We experimented and agreed that one was better than the other. I would make big batch of curries, another of his favourite, enough to last him for 6 months, or till our next visit.

Before his surgery, he had asked for some tofu receipes and I wanted to share with him a recipe for Mapo Tofu -  a flavorful spicy Szechuan tofu dish made with garlic, ginger, fermented black beans, chilli beans and ground pork, but I didn't because I realised he wouldn't be able to find the fermented black beans and chiili beans in Elmira. I told him that I would make him Mapo Tofu when I'm back for Christmas. I told him he would love it because at this point, we pretty much have established that we have similar taste in food.

Dad never got to try my Mapo Tofu. I made a big batch that Monday morning before he left us in the evening. Nonetheless, we ate that hearty, spicy Tofu dish in his honour for dinner. His wife, his children, his grandkids, his in-laws. We were all together, eating well. And that's what he would have wanted for us.

To be adventurous. To be as warm and generous as cumin.

To live and eat well. 

Picture of Dad getting measured for his suit for our wedding by an old Chinese tailor, an old master of suits in Kuala Lumpur.

On why cumin is the best spice ever.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/recipes/10432564/Why-cumin-is-my-favourite-spice.html

On making the best use of canned tomatoes (I use canned and fresh tomatoes at the same time), stale bread and of course, cumin.
http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2016/09/shakshuka-north-african-shirred-eggs-tomato-pepper-recipe.html


On Mapo Tofu. Yes, I understand this is French guy making Mapo tofu but trust me, his method is by far the easiest and it tastes really good. Omit peppercorn if you can't find any. I prefer without the peppercorn. 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T3W6LuJCmso










 

 "It is Well with my Soul" by Horatio G. Spafford, 1873

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say,
It is well, it is well with my soul.

Refrain:
It is well with my soul,
It is well, it is well with my soul.

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ hath regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul.

My sin—oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!—
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

For me, be it Christ, be it Christ hence to live:
If Jordan above me shall roll,
No pang shall be mine, for in death as in life
Thou wilt whisper Thy peace to my soul.

But, Lord, ’tis for Thee, for Thy coming we wait,
The sky, not the grave, is our goal;
Oh, trump of the angel! Oh, voice of the Lord!
Blessed hope, blessed rest of my soul!