Jeffrey Alan Huff

Jeffrey Alan Huff, born September 6, 1961, passed away on Sunday, March 7, 2021, with his sisters Molly and Elaine at his ICU bedside, after battling heart and kidney failure for several years.  

A 1979 graduate of Morgan County High School, Jeff attended the University of Georgia before taking over his family’s dairy operation upon the death of his father, Roy B. Huff, Sr, in 1985.  Like his father, he loved and respected animals, and their herd was named and treated like family.  Jeff was a strong advocate of farmers in Georgia, and was especially concerned each time another dairy operation ceased in Morgan or the surrounding counites.  

Later in his life, he worked in the surveying field in the area, and became quite proficient at digging through property tax records at the courthouse and tracing ownership through generations.  He had a great memory for people and events, and could be counted on to know the history of most of the county’s families and their property. 

He was often spotted on the county roads, especially the dirt ones, near the family’s farm property in the Buckhead area and, like his father before him, could be counted on for a leisurely catch up conversation by the side of the road.  Jeff looked forward to spring and the opportunity to get out and bushhog.  One of the best aspects of surveying for him was using his acuity to locate older pins and property line markings while walking through the woods.  He knew the boundaries and history of all of the extended Huff family’s farm property, and was a great resource for this, as was his Uncle Alvin Huff.  

He loved Farmall and International tractors, and was convinced of the superiority of his red machines over the green machines prized by others in the county. He particularly prized the 1953 Super C model originally purchased by his grandfather, William Herschel Huff, Sr., and the 1945 M model and 1950 Super A that has father purchased.  More recent additions to his collection were carefully selected, requiring traveling the country to view and transport the tractors home.   He was proud to include some of his 13 tractors in the Bostwick Cotton Gin parade, or to put his tractors on display at local events.  He counted on his 1954 Super MTA  to win regularly when he entered it in tractor pulls in the state, and he amassed a large collection of trophies, with the help of his cousins John and Justin Huff.  He shared his love of tractors with his cousin John, and the two of them spent many hours together identifying repairs, finding parts, and devising ingenious fixes to keep their menagerie of farm equipment running.  When his nieces and nephew were younger and he was in better health, he could be counted on to crank up several tractors for rides in the field during their visits.  He was also a big fan of NASCAR, traveling to the races often in his younger days, and watching them on TV each weekend during the season.

Once he reached driving age, which, like for many others in the county, was about thirteen, he began driving his beloved 1952 Ford F-1 Deluxe Cab pickup, which was passed down to him from his grandfather, Herman Alfred Browning.  On the fiftieth anniversary of its purchase, July 25, 2002, Jeff drove it to the Ford dealership in Laurens County where the truck was originally purchased and presented the original receipt for $1,470.15 from July 25, 1952.  He kept a picture of himself in front of the dealership, holding the original receipt, along with a clipping of the article that ran in the Dublin Courier Herald to commemorate his visit, and a picture from 1962 of his grandfather holding him, at age 7 months, in front of the truck.  

Jeff rose through the ranks of the cub scouts and Webelos, with his mother often serving as a den mom and his little sister mostly serving as an annoyance, at the meetings which were typically held in the Georgia Power building.    He attained the rank of Eagle Scout in BSA Troop 91, led by Nolan Roberts, in 1978.  

As a teenager, he taught himself to play the bass, guitar, and drums. Through the years, he enjoyed performing with Sassy Pilot, Fraction Bottom and other bands in the local area. He was known for the parties he hosted at the VFW and later at “the barn”. 

Jeff faced his illness with strength and tenacity and continued to be a forward thinker to the end. He fully intended to get better and get back to the things he loved to do. He was indebted to the tireless dedication of his sister Molly, who helped him navigate the complicated paths of chronic care and who tirelessly researched his illnesses and the options to treat them.

Jeff is survived by his mother, Irene Browning Huff, of Madison; brother Roy (Linda) Huff, Jr. of Peachtree City; sister Elaine (Keith) Knowlton of Fayetteville; sister Molly Huff of Bogart; nieces Morgan Knowlton and Madison Knowlton and nephew Will Knowlton. 

Visitation was held at A.E.Carter Funeral Home on Wednesday, March 10th, followed by a graveside service at the Madison Cemetery.  The family asks that you remember him fondly as one of our county’s beloved residents, and as a friend who was kind and could be counted on.  He will be missed.

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