Mrs. Dolores Highbaugh, a beloved and transformative lay leader, former Vice Moderator, elder of Park Manor Christian Church, and long-time friend of the Disciples Divinity House of the University of Chicago, died February 27, 2026, in Chicago. She would have turned 99 on her birthday in April.
Dolores was a lifelong voice for transformation and engagement across the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). She provided essential leadership for the Disciples following Restructure and Merger, including serving on the Moderator Team for General Assembly from 1975-77. She was a valued participant in ecumenical work, where she was typically the sole lay woman among white male clergy and theologians.
Dolores Jones and her family migrated from Jackson, Mississippi, first to Detroit, and then to Chicago. In 1947, she was introduced to Richard Highbaugh, who was pursuing his MBA at the University of Chicago following his service as a Tuskegee Airman. They were married in Chicago in 1949. They became active in what would soon become Park Manor Christian Church. They raised two children, Claudia and Earl Burton.
Both Richard and Dolores served as elders and in innumerable other ways at Park Manor. Dolores gave important leadership in the Chicago Disciples Union including brave and transformative interracial initiatives; she worked with Disciples Women in the regional and general church, often breaking the color line alongside Sybel Thomas and Eddie Griffin.
She regularly attended Monday dinners and programs at the Disciples House. She always had challenging questions for House Scholars as she nudged them to be educators for all people in the church. Her example, ideas, and encouragement were formative for DDH’s students—and deans.
She is survived by her daughter, Rev. Claudia Highbaugh. She was predeceased by Richard Highbaugh, who died in 2006 at age 85, and by their son, Earl Burton, who died on February 6, 2026. Arrangements are pending and will be announced at a later date.
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