John Edward “Higgy” Higgins, 78, of Dayton, Ohio and Saint Simons Island, Georgia passed away Monday, May 11, 2026 surrounded by his loving family.

John was born on December 4, 1947 in Columbus, Ohio son to the late Edward Lewis Higgins and Ruby Smith Higgins. He proudly grew up in Xenia, Ohio and graduated from Xenia High School in 1965.

After graduating from Central State University and traveling across the country with three friends in a converted Chevy bread truck, John returned to Xenia where he served as the Executive Vice President of the Xenia Chamber of Commerce. By 1973, John had settled into his two passions: racing cars and selling them. In 1974, John opened the Foreign Exchange, beginning a remarkable career in the automotive industry. In 1990, he and Bobby Rahal, along with his longtime friend and business partner, Rick Grant, opened Lexus of Dayton. Over the years, John became the beloved and respected patriarch of a company that ran more like a family. He called it a “Service Company that Sells Great Cars” because taking care of people was at the heart of everything they did.

John drove as a professional and an amateur driver on the sports car circuit and racing took him around the world: across America and Canada, and to Monaco and Japan. Among the scores of victories in his career were wins at the 12 Hours of Sebring, the Miami Grand Prix, West Palm Beach, Mid-Ohio, Daytona’s Rolex Enduro and, just three years ago, at age 76, in the vintage car race, the Classic 24 Hours of Daytona. In 2005, he was inducted into the prestigious Road Racing Drivers Club.

What people loved most about John had little to do with trophies or business success. He was genuine, humble, quietly generous and endlessly funny. He had epic dance moves, jokes and stories galore, a love for Captain Morgan and coke and a mischievous, joyful twinkle in his eyes. John was an avid golfer, serving as the longtime Captain of Team Bushwood at the Annual Lexus Shootout and enjoying rounds and events with friends at his home courses, Dayton Country Club and Sea Island, as well at traveling to play his favorite courses in Ireland. John had endearing nicknames for those close to him and made everyone he encountered feel special. He brought laughter to every situation. John had a tremendous gift of mentoring, guiding and pushing those in his world to grow and succeed. His love for animals ranged from feeding those in the wild to cherishing his many dogs, most recently Mayo. John wore many hats…racing helmets, golf caps, lampshades at parties and even the full Duffy the Dog costume on Clubhouse 22. His loyalty to friends and family was unmatched. John was truly larger than life, his “energizer bunny” charisma will live on in all those he touched.

Surviving are his wife, Christina (D’Agostino), daughters Lauren Meier and Kara Lewis (Ben); stepson Alec Livada (Tatiana); grandchildren Nicoletta Meier, Nora and Poppy Lewis, and Luca and Hugo Livada; brother Thomas Higgins (Marylou); nephews Michael Higgins (Kari) and Patrick Higgins (Cari) and a host of grand nieces and nephews and many friends that he considered family.

John’s family invites you to laugh and share memories on June 18th, 2026 from 5 – 8 p.m. at Dayton Country Club. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in John’s name to the Humane Society of Greater Dayton.