BELFAST – Surrounded by his family Jean G. “Huff” Hufnagel of Belfast, passed away peacefully on Saturday, Dec. 27, 2003, at Waldo County Hospital after a short illness. The son of George F. Hufnagel and Ada (Fenton) Hufnagel, he was born in Washington Heights on Manhattan Island, New York on Dec. 31,1919, moments before the start of the “Roaring Twenties” and just recently expressed that his life had been fun. In 1927, his family moved to Baldwin Long Island, where he graduated from Baldwin High School in 1938. While working the paper mills of Great Northern Paper in Millinocket and Maine Seaboard Paper in Bucksport during his summer vacations, Huff began his lifelong love of the state of Maine. In 1939, while climbing Mt. Katahdin, he participated in the famous 10-day search for “lost boy,” Don Fendler. He entered the chemical engineering program at the University of Maine in Orono, as member of the Class of ’44 and joined Phi Gamma Delta fraternity. Like many members of the Class of ’44 during World War II, he was called to active duty in the Air Force. He became an instructor at the bombardiers and navigation school in Selman Field in Alabama which kindled a decades long fascination with maps, compass directions and the shortest route between two places. On Dec. 26, 1944, he married Virginia Joan Kliesrath of New Rochelle, N.Y., at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City. After the war he returned to UMO to complete his studies. After graduation he worked for The Texas Oil Co. Texaco as a salesman in Maine until 1954, was then transferred to Connecticut, New York and finally Brussels, Belgium before taking early retirement in 1981. After retirement, Huff became active in the UMO Class of ’44, eventually heading up the class’s 50th year reunion in ’94, which donated more than $2 million towards the Class of ’44 Building at UMO. For these efforts he was awarded both the Gold M and Blue M for leadership, spirit and service to the University. He and Virginia happily returned to Maine in 1998, so Huff could continue his amateur career of gifted story teller and hang out with his old college pals. He is survived by his wife of 59 years, Virginia of Belfast; son, Douglas of Belfast; daughter, Janet Muri of Barrington, R.I.; son, Leigh of Naugatuck, Conn.; seven grandchildren, Joshua Hufnagel of Webster, N.H., Nicole (Muri) Searles of Warwick, R.I., Erin Grace Hufnagel of Camden, Eric Hufnagel of Stamford, Conn., Benjamin Muri of Richmond, Va., Elizabeth and Bradon Hufnagel of Naugatuck Conn.; and one great-grandchild, Sidney Fenton Searles of Warwick, R.I. Huff was predeceased by his son, Craig of Southampton, N.Y. in October 2003. Burial at Grove Cemetery, Belfast, will be private. A memorial will be held on May 8, 2004. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Waldo County Hospital Hospice Unit. Arrangements are with the Rackliffe Funeral Home, 54 Church St., Belfast, ME 04915.
JEAN G. ‘HUFF’ HUFNAGEL
