Obituary

Lisa Marie Highley of Laguna Woods, CA passed away on July, 2018 at Crystal Cove Care Center in Newport Beach, CA. She was receiving hospice care for cancer and was 68 years old.

Funeral Services were held at O’Connor Mortuary, Aug 11, 2018.

Lisa Marie Temple Highley was born on February 17, 1950 in Carthage, MO to Basil Othelbert “Jack”, Jr. and Jeanne Elizabeth Turner Temple. She spent most of her childhood in St. Louis, MO and attended Parkway High School, where she met two of her closest friends, Kathy and Chele. After a family move to Oklahoma City in 1967, Lisa finished her last year of high school and subsequently earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Oklahoma.

Much of Lisa’s adult life was spent in Rockwall, TX as a wife, homemaker, and loving mother to her daughter and son, Rainey and Jeremy. She was interested and active in her children’s lives, as well as in her community and church choir – all while studying and earning a professional license in Massage Therapy, which she practiced skillfully for the next 25 years.

In 1997, Lisa adventured to Idaho Springs, CO where she spent almost 20 years enjoying her kids, grandkids, sister, friends, and pets, owning and managing a successful Massage Therapy practice, serving on the City Council, and soaking up the beauty of the Rocky Mountains. Eventually craving the warmer weather reminiscent of her favorite family summers on the beach, Lisa found her way back to Laguna Woods, CA for her remaining years where she enjoyed being near family and the ocean once again.

Lisa Highley was a bright, loving person who enjoyed traveling anywhere tropical, expanding her artistic hobbies, and living in harmony with nature. She cared deeply for all living things and would strive to help those in need, even if she was in need, as well. Lisa could usually be found with her pets at her side, whether at home, in her car, or at work, and often toting various art supplies, her favorite crystals, and a giant purse. She was a talented artist, calligrapher, singer, and crafter, and was well-known for her generous spirit, her encompassing sense of humor, and her delicious lasagna.

Lisa’s greatest gift to others was the ease in which she could transform an acquaintance into a friend, a friend into a sister, a sister into a best friend, adult children into mentors and heroes, a daughter-in-law into a daughter, and grandchildren into grand human beings. She emphatically named her two children as her “proudest life accomplishments”, and listed “to be a good person” as her main life goal. Lisa met that goal effortlessly, and exceeded it by bringing out the good in others, as well. Memories of Lisa are cherished and she is missed dearly by her friends, family, pets, and anyone who was fortunate enough to have known her.

Lisa was preceded in death by her father and mother, Basil ‘Jack’ Temple, Jr. and Jeanne Turner Truan. She is survived by her daughter Rainey Highley of Sedona, AZ; her son, daughter-in-law, and two granddaughters, Jeremy, Kristina, Zeya, and Valyn Highley of Westminster, CO; her two sisters, Nancy Hawgood of Charlotte, North Carolina and Laura Temple-Tierre of Laguna Woods, CA, and her children’s father, F. Daniel Highley of Dallas, TX. Lisa is also survived by numerous friends and loved ones, including her dear life-long friends Kathy Callahan and Michele ‘Chele’ Hovey, her close friend and travel companion for many years, Jonathan Thomas, and her beloved pets Luna and Lali.