Obituary of Lee H. Oliver

Lee Higgins Oliver of Hebron passed away peacefully on January 9, 2025. She was the daughter of Arthur and Minnie Lou Higgins (Thorn).

Those who knew Lee or just passed her way were delighted by her joyous spirit, infectious laughter, and glamorous style. Lee loved the Catholic saints, Chanel makeup, chiaroscuro, and above all else, her daughters and husband.

Lee was born in Hartford on November 9,1946. She grew up in Maryland, and attended the University of Maryland and University of Hartford.

Lee threw herself fully into all her endeavors, especially into her marriage to the love of her life, Bill Oliver, and into the raising of their three daughters, Heather, Kate, and Meghan. She doted on her three grandsons, who called her Nina. She was a voracious reader -- reading multiple books a week -- and passed this love on to her daughters. To Lee, a quiet afternoon reading with a fat, orange cat curled up beside her was a small slice of heaven.

Lee had a multi-faceted career. Her first venture was as a flight attendant for United Airlines in New York City. She had many stories to tell about famous people (like Roy Rogers) she met on her flights, and harrowing tales of flying during thunderstorms or making an emergency landing after losing power in an engine. She was very proud of her time flying, and reconnected with other flight attendants later in life through United's Clipped Wings.

After marrying Bill, she moved back to Connecticut and flew for another year. She then worked as a job interviewer for Travelers in Hartford. After, Lee stayed at home raising her daughters. This was her favorite place: at home with family. The family has wonderful memories of summer vacations at Chateaugay Lake, NY, where Lee also spent her summers as a child. Eventually she joined her husband at his insurance agency to help out, but enjoyed her interactions with clients so much that she became a successful agent leading the personal lines department.

In 1988, her avocation became her vocation when she became a docent at the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art in Hartford. Her tours were well-received, as she described artwork with both knowledge and humor; the museum received many accolades about Lee’s tours from patrons. She was then hired as Group Visit Coordinator. Lee made many wonderful friends at the Atheneum, some who visited her and held her hand in her final days. After retirement, Bill and Lee spent their winter months enjoying the sunshine and desert landscape of Chandler, AZ, and summer months watching their grandsons splash and play in their pool in Hebron.

Lee leaves behind her husband Bill. She will be missed fiercely by her daughters and their families: Heather Hofland and husband Shawn Hofland of Chandler, AZ; Kathryn Oliver and husband Jay Dahya and their children Kieran and Aran of Woodbridge, CT; and Meghan Oliver and her son William Abel of Norwich, VT. Lee also leaves behind her sister Anne Higgins of Vancouver, BC, nephews Daniel and Patrick Duval, and niece Sarah Cecile. She was predeceased by her brother Michael Higgins and her sister Julie Higgins Duval.

Lee’s childhood friend Anne O’Connor visited and gave comfort to her during the year as well as good friends Ron and Marilyn Gattinella.

The family wishes to thank the Marlborough Health and Rehabilitation Center for the special care they gave Lee this past year.

Darling Lee, April would have been 55 years of marriage; it wasn’t enough.

Calling hours will be held on Thursday, January 30, 2025 from 1:00 pm to 2:30 pm at Mulryan Funeral Home, 725 Hebron Ave, Glastonbury. A Celebration of Life will follow on Thursday, January 30, 2025 at Blackledge Country Club, 180 West St., Hebron at 3:00 pm. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Cartie Art Museum Bus, 326 Navajo Loop, Shelton, CT 06484, or the American Stroke Foundation, 6405 Metcalf Ave., Overland Park, KS 66202. For online condolences, please visit www.mulryanfh.com.