Dr. Jeanette Marie Higgins

Dr. Jeanette Marie Higgins died at Meritus Hospital on October 26th, 2025 after a brief illness. She was 61 years old.

Jeanette was born in Washington, PA on January 21, 1964 to Russell and Patricia Sherbondy. She graduated from Waynesburg Central High School in 1981 and from Waynesburg College in 1985 with a Bachelor’s in Science. For 38 years, she worked for LeidosBiomedical Research (formerly SAIC). For many of those years, she worked as a Supervisor of Clinical Flow Cytometry and Hematology. She was passionate about clinical research and the author of more than 20 co-authored publications that directly and indirectly helped clinicians and patients. In 2020, she completed a PhD in public health epidemiology at Walden University. Her dissertation examined the stigmas Black queer men face in accessing HIV testing.

Jeanette was also very interested in genealogical research and was an active member of the Daughters of the American Revolution since 2013. She loved Shetland sheepdogs and frequently donated to rescue organizations. In her free time, she also enjoyed attending community theater.

She is survived by her mother, Patricia Sherbondy; her husband, Eric Higgins; and her two children, Danny and Tyler Higgins.

A funeral mass will be held at 10 AM on Saturday, November 22 at St. Ann Catholic Church in Hagerstown, MD. After the mass, there will be a procession to Rest Haven Cemetery for burial.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the Hope Center (Hagerstown, Maryland) or the Washington County Humane Society.