IN MEMORIAM
andrew Huff
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Andy was born on February 14, 1924 to Elick and Delphine (Nibler) Huff in Heppner, Oregon. His parents named him Andrew after his father, but his siblings grew up calling him "Junior" or "Junie".
In January of 1925, his parents received the deed for a 160 acres of land through the Homestead Act. Over the next ten years the family lived mainly on the homestead but at times moved to where Elick could find work. They would stay in one house for a few months and then move to another, he recalled. In 1939, the family moved to the Willamette Valley. They stayed with Elick's sister Ginnettie in Rose City (now NE Portland) then moved to Tobias and finally to Hillsboro. In 1942, at the age of 17, Andy enlisted in the U.S.Navy. At that time he discovered that his birth certificate listed his name as "Baby Boy Huff". His parents had failed to register his name at his birth. He quickly had it changed to Andrew Huff. When asked why he joined the Navy at such a young age, he would respond that the recruiter had promised he would have all he could eat, three times a day. Coming from a family of ten, that was an offer too good to pass up. Whether that was the real reason or not, he made the Navy his career for twenty years. He retired in 1962. In 1942, while stationed in Astoria, Oregon, Andy hitchhiked to Hillsboro for a visit home. The family lived across the railroad tracks, south of Shute Park. The July 4th carnival was taking place and Andy went. While there he met a beautiful red-haired girl. The two visited and Andy asked to take her home. She declined saying she was there with someone else, but she did get his number and address. Over the next few months the two began dating and became engaged. Well intended friends and family discouraged the red-haired girl and she called the engagement off. Heartbroken, Andy borrowed his dad's truck and got drunk. While returning home, he ran a stop sign and was broadsided by another car. Taken to Tuality Hospital a few blocks away, Andy kept asking for this love. After being told about the accident, she rushed to the hospital. Rushing down the hall she noticed an older couple sitting in nearby. The wife leaned over to her husband and said, "That must be the redhead he's been calling for." When she entered his room, he was laying on his back, shoes off, toe poking through a hole in his sock. He grabbed hold of her and said, "Never leave me." On July 25, 1943, Andrew Huff married Katherine Anne Jones. A year later, they welcomed their first son. As a Navy family they moved every time Andy received a new assignment. They lived in Nevada, Hawaii. In Nevada, in 1946, their second son was born. In 1962, Andy retired from the Navy as a Master Chief AMCM. The family settled down and built a house on an acre of the eleven acre strip of land his parents owned in Hillsboro, Oregon. Andy took a job with the U.S. Postal Service, delivering mail on a rural route over Bald Peak. He retired from his second career and turned his talents to gardening and raising chickens. He planted a huge garden every year, trying something new with each season. He was always happy to share the bounty with friends, neighbors, and relatives. Andy and Kathy's home became the center for large family gatherings. In the mid-'70s they built on a large party room onto the back of their home. Every year they hosted birthday parties for Delphine, holiday parties, graduation, wedding, and sadly funeral receptions. Andy was a pillar for the family - not just his children and grands, but also for his many nieces and nephews. As the years began taking their toll, Andy handled it like a trooper. Always quick to laugh. In 2018, he and Kathy celebrated their 75th wedding anniversary with family. Andy's declining health and memory was becoming more evident. Then, on February 16, 2019, Andy slipped away at the age of 94. |