Norman Ernest Huff, 74, a longtime Pine Valley resident, died May 19, 2005, at his home.
There will be no service.
Norman was born in Oct. 1, 1930, at Baker City. He attended school at Port Ludlow, Wash., and in 1945 returned to Pine Valley with his family, where he graduated from high school. He completed his education with two years at Oregon Institute of Technology in Klamath Falls.
Norman served in the armed forces from Aug. 15, 1951, through Aug. 15, 1953. He also served at the White Sands Proving Ground in New Mexico and played baseball for the White Sands Rockets. Upon his discharge at the rank of corporal, he returned to Pine Valley where he bought the Richfield Service station, which he owned and operated for many years during the Brownlee and Oxbow dam-building era.
Norman married the love of his life, Velda Bunch, also a Pine Valley resident, on Jan. 22, 1955, in Baker, City. They had a daughter, Rhonda Lynn.
Norman and Velda recently celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary.
After selling the service station, Norman began working as both a driver and mechanic for the Pine-Eagle School District, and later for Mid Columbia Buses, finally retiring and doing part-time work with his brother at the Pine Telephone Co.
Norman enjoyed hunting, and he was an avid fly fisherman. A lover of the outdoors, he enjoyed all aspects of it, including any type of yard work or landscaping. Wherever he was, he could be found in the constant company of his beloved dog, Abbie.
Survivors include his wife, Velda; his daughter, Rhonda; two younger brothers, Gaylon Huff of Grand Ronde, and Rodney Huff and his wife, Lorna, of Pine Valley; six grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren; several nieces and nephews; and his favorite mother-in-law, June Freeman.
Norman was preceded in death by his father and mother, three aunts, two uncles, and numerous other family members.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Juvenile Bipolar Research Foundation or the charity of one’s choice in care of Tami’s Pine Valley Funeral Home, P.O. Box 543, Halfway, OR 97834.
Used with permission from: Baker City Herald, Baker City, Oregon, May 27, 2005
Transcribed by: Belva Ticknor