Grace Mary Riggs Hougey

Grace Mary Riggs was born on July 30, 1925 in Mayfield, Kentucky, the oldest of four children born to Alice Gray and Harvey Riggs. Harvey was a minister and moved his family to several states where he was appointed to preach including Arkansas, Texas, Michigan, and their home state of Kentucky. The family had more than its fair share of struggles and Grace helped out to manage the household with her mother and saved up money to attend Harding University of Arkansas, There she earned a bachelor’s degree and met Harold Hougey, a native of California.

The couple married on Aug 24, 1950 and had four children, Kenneth (1954), Richard (1957), Sandra (1958) and Jonathan (1964.) Harold was also a preacher so once again Grace was on the move to Washington, Idaho, and finally settling in California. Grace worked in aerospace, taught school, and raised their four children. In 1960 the couple opened up a Christian bookstore called Manna Family Bookstore. They ran the bookstore for 28 years before retiring in 1990, when they went to visit their only daughter Sandra who has been a missionary in Japan for the 3 decades.

In 2000, after almost 50 years of marriage Harold died from Parkinson’s disease. In 2012 Grace began fighting her own failing health with hearing loss, memory loss, and arterial breathing complications. On January 19, 2018 she joined Harold in death, leaving behind her four children, 14 grandchildren, 11 great grandchildren, as well as her 3 siblings.

*Grace was my 4th cousin 3x removed*