Nancy Jane Huffman

Nancy Jane Huffman went home to be with our Lord June 24, 2021 at the age of 88.

She was born to Paul and Rosa Bernstein and greeted by her sister Theresa on November 11, 1932 in Dayton Ohio.

Following the passing of her father in 1934 her mother took the girls to Germany to be with family,  making her a world traveler before the age of 2. With growing tensions in the area they soon returned to the U.S. going through Ellis Island in December of 1934.

A few years later her mother married Otto Lange. As a child her family traveled the entire country as migrant workers as did so many others at the time. Despite being constantly on the move she managed to graduate from the 8th grade. Nancy, her mother, and sister worked in the fields and assisted domestically while her step-father’s specialty was painting signs, which can still be seen on a few businesses in Tulelake.

It was November 1951 on one of the travels to the Basin that she met her love and life-long partner Clyde F Huffman at a dance in the V.F.W. Hall in Tulelake. They were married Jan 12 1952, and made their home in a dusty, isolated barracks on Clyde’s homestead in Copic Bay, where they raised their 5 sons. Nancy worked side by side with Clyde and as they accumulated equipment she could and would operate them all.

With working the farm, raising the boys, and the continued improvements on the home, she still found time to be a relief school bus driver, volunteer E.M.T, and an active member of the church. Nancy took pride in being part of the 1965 building of the Trinity Lutheran Church in Tulelake.

After Clyde's passing in 1986 she remained instrumental in helping her adult sons on the farm.

In 1990 Nancy stepped out of her comfort zone and ran for Modoc County Supervisor and won, making her the first woman to hold that position. As a Supervisor she served on multiple committees and boards from 1990 - 2002, remaining on the Planning Commission until 2019. She gained a lot of praise and respect for how she served her district and county.

With failing eyesight and decreased mobility, in 2016, she was blessed to have her son Charlie return home as her caregiver so she could remain in the home she loved.

Nancy was very proud of her sons and loved them and their families dearly.

She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband Clyde, son Paul, and grandson Nicholas.

She is survived by her sister Theresa Bodner , NJ; sons Matt (Debbie), Otto (Judy), Charles, Tim (Elisa) all of Tulelake; daughter-in-law Rita of Willits CA; 9 grandchildren, 9 great grandchildren and numerous nieces and nephews.

A viewing will be held Thursday July 1, 2021 from 3-6 P.M. in O'Hair-Wards Funeral Chapel, 515 Pine St., Klamath Falls, Oregon, (541-883-3456.

A Memorial Service will be held July 2, 2021 at 11:00 a.m., in Trinity Lutheran Church in Tulelake, Ca. and a reception will immediately follow, across the street at the Honker.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Trinity Lutheran Church, PO Box 456 Tulelake CA 96134