Joanne (dwyer) Huffman

Joanne (Dwyer) Huffman, 80, of Wethersfield, beloved wife of the late William J. Huffman, entered into God's hands, Friday, (December 19, 2008) in Hartford surrounded by her loving and devoted family after a courageous battle with metastatic melanoma. She was born December 31, 1927 in Hartford and was the daughter of the late William and Helen (Smith) Dwyer. Mrs. Huffman was a graduate of Bulkeley High School and the Hartford Secretarial School. She worked for several years for Gilman & Marks Law Firm in Hartford. Her value was evidenced by the law firm setting up an office in her home so she could work while raising her children. In 1969 she began working for the Wethersfield school system's social work department and in 1975 she became the principal's secretary at Wethersfield High School where she retired from in 1994. She was known as the 'heart and conscience' of WHS for 19 years where she guided and took care of so many students and was the recipient of the Educator of the Year award. Joanne was an active member and past president of the Corpus Christi Women's Club and until last year, every baby baptized at Corpus Christi Church had the blessing of wearing a baptismal robe that was handmade by Joanne. She taught CCD at Corpus Christi for many years, made handmade warm 'cuddle' blankets for NICU babies at CCMC, was an active member of the Wethersfield Dollars for Scholars Program for many years, and enjoyed family summer vacations at Cornfield Point Beach and Point O' Woods. She lived her life with optimism, kindness, courage, patience and a wonderful sense of humor and she instilled these values in her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. Joanne was a friend to all who knew her and we are better people for having known and loved her. Her friends from Bulkeley High School and the Birthday Club will miss her immensely. First and foremost in Joanne's life was her devotion to her family and she will be dearly missed by her children, Michael Huffman and his wife, Jo Ann, Timothy Huffman and his wife, Vicki, Mary Daversa and her husband Dan, Paul Huffman and his wife, Elizabeth and Debra Raymond, all of Wethersfield; her grandchildren, Merideth and Brian Banet, Alexandra and Carly Huffman, Diane and Joshua Krause, Bill Huffman, David Huffman, Steven Huffman, Christopher Huffman, Andrew Huffman, Tim Huffman, Erik Huffman, Danielle Daversa; and her great grandchildren, Mackenzi and Noah Banet, all of Wethersfield. Besides her devoted husband of 53 years who passed away in 2003, she was predeceased by two sons, Christopher and Mark Huffman and a grandson, Michael James 'Mikey' Daversa, a sister Marilyn Dwyer and two daughters-in-law, Joann (Roark) Huffman and Elaine (Chellstorp) Huffman. The family would like to extend their heartfelt thanks to the staff at the Helen and Harry Gray Cancer Center and the staff at the Bliss 5 Unit at Hartford Hospital. Funeral Service will be Tuesday at 10 a.m. from the D'Esopo Funeral Chapel, 277 Folly Brook Blvd. Wethersfield followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at 11 a.m. at Corpus Christi Church, 601 Silas Deane Hwy, Wethersfield. The burial will be in Village Cemetery, Wethersfield. Calling hours are Monday 4-8 p.m. at the funeral chapel. Memorial donations may be made to Mikey's Place, 92 Chamberlain Road, Wethersfield, CT 06109. For on line expressions of sympathy please visit www.desopo.com.