Howard Richard Huff

Dr. Howard Richard Huff, (86), of Henderson, Nevada, passed away on August 2, 2024. Born on April 22, 1938, in Chicago, Illinois, Howard dedicated his life to blazing trails and making a lasting impact on all who had the privilege of knowing him.

Dr. Huff received his Bachelor of Science in Engineering Science from New York University in 1960; his Master of Science in Physics from the Stevens Institute of Technology in 1962; and his Ph.D. in Metallurgy from Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1966.

Dr. Huff joined Texas Instruments, Inc. in 1966, where he held variety of research, engineering, and production positions for the manufacture of both MOS and bipolar circuits. In 1979, Dr. Huff joined Signetics Corp. as a Senior Program Coordinator in the Philips Research Labs in Sunnyvale, CA. where he was responsible for IC related silicon materials issues. In 1983, he joined the Monsanto Electronic Materials Co. (MEMC) in Palo Alto as Director of Market Development. In 1988, Dr. Huff joined International SEMATECH in Austin as Program Manager for Gate Stack Engineering and Silicon Materials, and retired as a Senior Fellow, Emeritus in 2006. He was also a Fellow of The Electrochemical Society and The American Physical Society.

Beyond his illustrious career, Dr. Huff was an avid lover of jazz, big band music, and classic musical movies. With his wife, he traveled extensively for work and pleasure including multiple visits to Japan and Hawai’i, China, Korea, Germany, Russia, and Israel. He was an active member of Congregation Tiferet Israel in Dallas and Midbar Kodesh Temple in Henderson for many years.

He is preceded in death by his beloved wife, Helen Smakwitz Huff; his parents, Morris and Sally re Huff, both of Dallas; and sister, Nancy Huff Dozeto, of Austin. Survivors include daughters, Sharon Huff of San Jose, CA and Debra Huff (James Borkowitz) of Pittsburg, CA; son, Louis (Jennifer) Huff of Hutto, TX; granddaughter, Vanessa Huff of Kerrville, TX; and niece, Judey Dozeto of Solana Beach, CA.

I will update post once Graveside services have been scheduled at King David Memorial Chapel and Cemetery in Las Vegas on Monday, August 5, at 1:30 pm with burial to follow

The family requests that, in lieu of flowers, donations in Dr. Huff’s memory be made to Midbar Kodesh Temple, 1940 Paseo Verde Parkway Henderson, Nevada 89012 or the charity of choice.