Della Huber

1939 - 2025

Della Huber, née Homans, passed away peacefully on September 20, 2025, in Memphis, Tennessee, comforted by family and friends.

Della's well-known optimism, love, and concern for others remained until the end. Despite her diagnosis of pancreatic cancer, she lived with her customary grace, independence and determination, outliving several medical prognoses.

Della's life was built on her love of her family and friends, along with an insatiable interest in ideas, the pursuit of knowledge, and a love of all things fun - sports, crafts and games.

Della was born on February 19, 1939, in Washington DC to Sheppard Homans and Eva Mary Homans, née Buchheit. She spent her early childhood years, along with her younger brother Ron (Linda) and sister Sue (Tom), living in different cities before the family settled in Marietta, Georgia – experiences which no doubt contributed to her love of travel as an adult. Della was devoted to her four children, Mary (Michael), Ann (Mark), John (Jennifer), and Michael (Lauren) and supported them enthusiastically throughout her life, whether it was in Greenwich Village, New York City in the 1960s (raising four children in a 2-bedroom apartment), Birmingham, Alabama in the 1970s and 1980s, or traveling to visit them across the country when they started their own families. She was a very much-loved Nana and adored her ten grandchildren Allison (Andrew), Drew (Bri), Kenyon (Morgan), Abby (Luke), Margo, Brendan (Ariel), JD, Anna Rose, Clio, and Willa and two great-grandchildren William and Pierce (with three more great-grandsons on the way). Della always made sure to attend many, many piano and violin and song recitals, dance performances, swim meets, football, baseball, soccer, volleyball and basketball games, birthday and holiday celebrations, weddings, graduations and family get-togethers, even while she was living in Oakland and New York City. And, of course, she loved doing arts and crafts with her extended family and traveled with her own stash of holiday ornaments to be decorated, stickers, construction paper, and holiday gel shapes to stick to front doors.

Della cherished her friendships and served as a great role model on how to have long-lasting friendships and dear friends after spending only a few hours with new acquaintances. Della had several friendships dating back nearly 60 years and getting together in person or via Zoom with these long-term friends was always a joy for her. In addition to her lifelong friends from Birmingham, she made many new, multi-decade friendships after moving to Oakland in the mid-1990s, where her Crones Counsel friends became a second family.

She again made dear friends after relocating to New York City almost 20 years ago, as well as after recently moving to a retirement community in Tennessee. Wherever Della went, she found people as interesting, and sometimes zany, as she was. In addition, Della was active both politically and as a volunteer in her community. She believed strongly in fostering communication and understanding and in giving back to her community.

In addition to her friends and family, Della was rarely without a book or an anecdote about something she had recently read. There was no topic off-limits, from her cherished mysteries to the full shelves of books on Women's spirituality and exploring the self.

Raised Catholic in the deep south, Della lived a life of the mind, open to people and ideas from all walks of life. She flourished at the University of Louisville, where she was editor-in-chief of the Cardinal student newspaper and Who's Who in her senior class. At Louisville, Della was an honored French major (who was also a member of the German honor society) and first went abroad to Paris, spending a summer as a "perfume girl" in a Parisian department store.

Marrying shortly after graduating from U of L, she later lived with her family in Greenwich Village in the 1960s. Despite having 4 kids, living in a tiny apartment and having little money, Della somehow took advantage of the City's cultural offerings, especially if they were free, allowed children and were in the Village! But she occasionally chuckled that having four kids caused her to miss her chance to be a Village hippy.

In Birmingham, where she ultimately raised her family, Della was involved with Greater Birmingham Ministries, the Panel of American Women, her children's schools, and the Evergreen School in Birmingham, AL, working to improve her community and address racial and community divides.

In her mid-fifties, now an empty-nester, Della moved to San Francisco to study Women's Spirituality at the California Institute of Integral Studies, where she received her master's degree in 1999. She later joined the Crones Counsel, embracing the wisdom of older women and continued to expand her intellectual horizons after returning to New York City. Della approached each day with a curious, open and intelligent mind.

In addition to her lively mind, Della was active in sports at a time when girls were discouraged from "overexertion," playing basketball and softball as a child. These skills also came in handy as a mother when she taught her children baseball, basketball and tennis. A born lefty, she could always switch to righty when necessary to show her kids how to bat.

Della took up tennis as a young mother of four after moving to Birmingham. After a short couple of years, she climbed the rankings to become the top player at her club. She was also a life-long lover of dance, as well as classical music, art, and all things cultural. Not just a highbrow intellect, she quietly dominated family games of Trivial Pursuit, whipped her family members at Scrabble well into her 80s and was always up for a game of charades.

Finally, Della had an adventurous spirit, loved to travel and took full advantage of visiting her friends and family wherever they might be – including Spain, France, Kenya, Japan, Costa Rica, and across the United States from coast to coast and in-between. With her trusty messenger bag and roller bag, Della was game to travel anywhere, any time, and, well past her diagnosis with cancer, was still flying alone to visit her grandkids and great-grandkids. Never one who demanded luxury, as along as Della had her morning tea (don't worry, she brought her own) and crossword puzzle, she could fit in anywhere in the world. When not traveling, Della could be found exploring the aisles of her beloved TJ Maxx for gifts for her grandkids and great grandkids. She quickly became known for gifting crazy socks that family eagerly anticipated every holiday.

Della was a thoughtful, loving, and wonderful mom, Nana, great-grandmother, friend, sibling and life-long learner who loved and appreciated all that life gave her and lived life to the fullest every day. She was already enjoying her final chapter in her retirement community in Memphis, making friends and jumping into activities, even while undergoing chemo for pancreatic cancer. We only wish she could have stayed there – and with us – for just a little bit longer.

There will be a joyful Celebration of Life for Della next year.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to your local food pantry or to the New York City public library in honor of Della.