John Vernon Huffman passed away at the age of 72, on Feb. 11, 2020.
A Celebration of Life is planned for 2 p.m., April 4, 2020, at the J.P. Jones Center in Fairbanks. The service will include military honors, a big rig convoy and followed by a potluck.
Honorary Pallbearers are John Huffman Jr., Michael Reeves, Doug Wagner, George Huffman, Jim Huffman and Paul Huffman.
John was born on Oct. 4, 1947, to Arnold and Eva Mae Jewell Huffman in Colorado, the third of nine children.
At the age of 18, John joined the army. He met his wife Berta Nell Moore while he was stationed in Kansas. They were married on July 16, 1967. They had four children while living in Kansas.
In 1978, they moved to Alaska, where John joined the Carpenters Union and worked construction for several years, before joining the Teamsters. He joined his brother George, driving big rigs all over the United States for their brother Jim Huffman's family businesses and made many trips up the Haul Road, while their parents were their pilot car drivers at times. He was still working part time for Black Gold, taking a load to Prudhoe the day he died.
John is preceded in death by his parents, Arnold and Eva Mae Jewell Huffman (Vernon), his wife, Berta Huffman, his daughter Victoria Harris, her husband Jason Harris, his granddaughter Delena Snow Harris, and his sister Susan Bruhn.
He is survived by his children, Amy Lynne (husband Michael Reeves), of Kansas, and grandchildren Jeffrey, Jamie, and Jenny Dawn Ferguson; daughter Dawn (husband Doug Wagner), of Kansas, grandson Levi Wagner (wife Anita) and great-grandchildren Abbigail and Brantley; son, John Huffman Jr., (Terra Lynn Huffman) grandson, L.J. (Little John) Huffman, granddaughter Amber Dawn Huffman (husband Trevor Lee Scott) and great-grandchildren Kaden and Greyson Scott. He is also survived by his granddaughter Dannyelle Seaman (parents Victoria and Jason Harris).
He is survived by his companion, Jan Shurtleff of Texas, and her daughter Sue Moore and her three children, Taylor, Sarah and Jacob Moore of San Diego, who fondly knew John as Johnny Boy.
Surviving siblings are George Thomas Huffman, Pauline Peters, Ruth Peterson, Becky Penton, Jim Huffman, Paul Huffman, Mary Patten, and their families, plus many relatives (John was blessed with 14 aunts).
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Published in Daily News-Miner on Mar. 1, 2020
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