James Hufford
September 28, 1939 - June 12, 2015
Osceola
James Neal Hufford, resident of Osceola, Indiana, died on Friday, June 12th, 2015 at Elkhart General Hospital after his fourth battle with cancer. He was 75.
The son of Robert and Lillian Hufford, James was born on September 28th, 1939 in Rossville, Indiana. He grew up surrounded by four loving sisters, Shirley (Sharp) of Rossville, Patricia (Sharp) of Westfield, Becky (Chosnek) of West Lafayette, and Debby (Beaver), of Rossville,Indiana. He fell in love and married Pearl Virginia Lokey of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina on September 4th, 1960. He is survived by his wife, daughter, Jeannie Marie (Chettleburgh, husband Dan, children Nicholas, Michael, Lia and Lexi of Granger) and son, Michael Robert (wife Suzette Sturm, children Ian, Alexandria, and Oliver, of Chapel Hill, North Carolina).
Growing up with a love of history and the outdoors, and with an unstoppable work ethic, he earned the rank of Eagle Scout prior to graduating from Rossville High School in 1957. He was subsequently an Airman First Class in the Unites States Air Force. A Purdue University alumnus in Electrical Engineering, he went on to have a 30+ yearcareer of leadership and innovation, including 18 U.S. and foreign patents, at CTS Corporation. Beginning work there as a draftsman, he retired in 2000 as CTS's Executive Vice President of Research, Development and Engineering. In each summer of his retirement, he enjoyed exploring the Rocky Mountain West with his wife from their other home in Missoula, Montana.
A lifelong woodworker, the arc of his craftsmanship began as a boy under the mentorship of his father. From furniture for his children and grandchildren, to elaborate wooden clocks with gears cut by hand, James' eye for detail and relentless pursuit of perfection culminated in beautiful gifts for the people he loved. He always found fault in these masterful gifts of craftsmanship, perhaps because the love that he had for those around him was greater than even these timeless gifts could convey.
A celebration of James' life will be held at McGann Hay, Granger Chapel, 13260 SR 23, in Granger, on Wednesday, June 17th starting at 3pm. Visitation hours will be between 4-7pm. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that gifts be made in his name to The Leukemia And Lymphoma Society (https://donate.lls.org/lls/donate?mc=baml), The Carousel for Missoula (http://carouselformissoula.com/donate/), or The Boy Scouts of America, Rossville Troop 337, 5434 W. State Rd 26, Rossville, IN 46065.
To send condolences, or for directions, please visit www.McGannHay.com.
