She was born in Birmingham, Alabama on September 18, 1934, the daughter of the late Lester and Pauline Herring. Her daughter, Dr. Joyce Huffman and granddaughter, Jameson Ada Huffman, of Houston, Texas and her two sons, Hans Huffman of Chicago, Illinois, and Odie Huffman Jr. (Ricky) and his wife of Huntsville, Alabama, survive Mrs. Huffman. She was preceded in death by her husband, Odie Huffman, of East Greenwich, Rhode Island and her four brothers—Fred Herring, Jesse Herring, and Charles Herring of Birmingham, Alabama, and Leon Herring of New York, New York. Her four sisters, Celeste Moore, Linda Herring, Brenda Herring and Jeannette Aldridge, their spouses and numerous nieces and nephews, also survive her.
Gwendolyn graduated from Birmingham’s Parker High School in 1951. She graduated from Tuskegee University in 1956 with a B.S. in nursing following an affiliation in New York City at King’s County and Bellevue municipal hospitals and began her career as a Registered Nurse. Married to an U.S. Army officer, she traveled the world for more than 20 years and created a home for her family at every post. The Huffman family settled in Bristol, Rhode Island following her husband’s retirement from the military. In 1986, Mrs. Huffman graduated from Salve Regina University with a Master’s Degree in Psychology, specializing in holistic counseling. She continued her career in nursing and retired as Director of Nursing for a state hospital in Rhode Island in 1997 and moved to East Greenwich, Rhode Island.
In retirement, Mrs. Huffman served as a Deacon of the Congregational Church of Bristol, Rhode Island until 2003. In 2009, Gwendolyn moved to Houston, Texas. A beloved wife, mother, grandmother, and community volunteer, she continued her counseling practice and pursued her love of international travel, reading, baking and spending summers in Blue Hill, Maine with her family.
A memorial service will be held at 2PM on Saturday, July 14th at Brookside Funeral Home—Champions, 3410 Cypress Creek Parkway, in Houston, Texas. Family and friends are welcome to a gathering with refreshments immediately after the service.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in memory of Gwendolyn D. Huffman to Monarch Family Services at http://monarchfamilyservices.com/donate/ or at 3730 Kirby Drive , Suite 904, Houston TX 77098. Funds will be designated specifically for research and outreach programs that assist foster children to find legal and permanent forever families.
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