Roland Terry Huthmaker

Roland "Buddy" Terry Huthmaker
In the Huthmaker family, certain sentences are part of our history, starting the stories that marked great changes in our lives. "Hey Dixie, loan me some money?" Buddy shouted out, over a crowded table at Shoney's after a Jackson Symphony concert. That led to a first date and to 60 years of a marriage full of more love than you can imagine.
"Excuse me Mr. Huthmaker, you have to leave the stage your wife is in labor". Of course, Dixie was leaving the stage as well, as a performance with the Knoxville Symphony started with Braham's and ended with Buddy becoming a father.
"Buddy. meet your son." Buddy had just gone through back surgery and was lying on his stomach when he got his first look at Charles, the son he was so proud of.
And my personal favorite, "Grab your hat we are going to rent a shop" That one was Dixie's response to being unable to walk across the living room due to the piles of school instrument repairs Buddy was working on. Of course, that was the beginning of Huthmaker Violins, the violin shop that Buddy never knew he wanted, but created anyway.
There were sentences that showed his spirit for living. "Let's go to the Gulf Coast this weekend!", "We can never have to many antique cars. who cares if they run or not?", "Let's go out West for the summer. we can stop in Vegas, right?", and "I am going to violin repair school!"
The sentences that struck fear in our hearts, "Help me put this boat on the trailer", and "Let's do the Christmas tree lights first"
And the hundreds of sentences that showed his love and support for his wife and kids "Of course you can hike the A.T./bike across France/switch from 'cello to string bass/move up North to pursue rowing!" and "You want to write a book? Here is a computer to help you do it"
The best sentence, and one that we have carried for years now, is "We might just be the luckiest people in the world". We have a magnet that says that, on all of our refrigerators, and when things are wonderful, we all point to it. And when things are rough, we point to it. A reminder of what we have, in all times.
Buddy was larger than life, with a personality and heart that was unmeasurable. His voice was loud, (We used to call him Old Yeller), his laughter contagious, and his loyalty fierce, fierce. But more than anything, he loved.
He loved music to the very core of his being, playing his violin for 75 of his 82 years. He loved teaching, whether it was a high-school orchestra, a community chorus, or a small church choir. You only had to ask him a question about the circle of 5ths or the first phrase of the Holberg Suite to see his eyes light up.
That passion later grew when he discovered the history of violins and learned how to restore them. Many a customer would come in and ask how much their great-grandfather's violin was worth, only to leave an hour later really knowing the history of the instrument. Watching Buddy run his fingers along the scroll, explaining which angles made it German and which curves made it French was to get a true glimpse of the thing that was the second most important passion in his life.
Of course, the thing that Buddy loved the most was his family. Dixie used to tease him that he grew up in Camelot, surrounded by family and friends straight out of a Norman Rockwell painting. And it was true. The cousins, his parents, uncles, great-aunts.he loved all of them. Later in life, he opened his arms and heart to his daughter-in-law (Jacqueline) and three instant grandkids (Jack, Mimi, Tom). And at the core, three stood above the rest. Anna and Charles, his children, were the apple of his eye and he fought fiercely for them and believed completely in them.
And Dixie. his wife of 60 years? She was the great love of his life. He fell for her when she was 19 years old, and never, ever wavered in that love. She was his dearest one, the warmth he leaned into and an inseparable part of his soul.
Roland (Buddy) Terry Huthmaker, age 82 of Duluth, left us August 1, 2024. And the hole he leaves behind is as big as his presence was in life. We will never see a Model T Ford, hear the Hot Canary on the violin, or smell fresh hide-glue without remembering him. Louis L'Amour books, golf tees, and Herringbone hats.they will forever throw us back into the memory of this man who was loved every bit as much as he loved us.
Celebration of Life for Buddy Huthmaker - October 12, 2024
4:30-6:00
Huthmaker Violins, Suwanee, Georgia
In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Athens Symphony (https://athenssymphony.org/support/)
P.S. We never were quite sure if Buddy ever paid Dixie back that money he borrowed at Shoney's all those years ago, but something tells us that the riches they shared in those 60 years made up for it. We might just be the luckiest people in the world.
Bill Head Funeral Homes and Crematory Duluth Chapel, 770-476-2535.