Katharine was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, and grew up in Memphis, completing high school at St. Mary’s Episcopal School in 1961. She graduated from Duke University with a BA in Religion in 1966, and received her Masters in Special Education from Tufts University in 1967. During her career as a teacher, she taught elementary and preschool at schools in Connecticut, Texas, and Tennessee; and taught Bible at St. George’s Day School in Memphis. Katharine was an active and supportive member of Second Baptist Church from 1976 until her death, teaching Sunday School to two and three year-olds, setting records for volunteer hours in the annual church pumpkin patch, and coaching the Lassie girls basketball team with her husband Frank. She was the Director of Children’s Ministry at Community Bible Study for almost 20 years, volunteered at the Brinkley Heights Clothes Closet, and worked at the Pink Palace Museum. And she was an avid sports fan – her favorite teams (the Memphis Grizzlies, the Duke Blue Devils, the Memphis Tigers, and any team her children or grandchildren played on) never fouled and were invariably the best of all time.
Katharine’s love for children guided her life from her earliest days. From teaching her little sister Jean to read, to hosting weekly Bible studies for neighborhood children on Audubon Drive, to more formal teaching in schools and churches, her calling was to love and minister to them. She personified the words of Jesus when he said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” (Matthew 19:14.) Both children and adults were blessed for years of their lives with her remembrances in the mail: birthdays cards, Halloween Frosty coupons, advent calendars at Christmas, and recognition of milestones of all kinds. As her daughter Dora put it, “There were no barriers to entry for her love. She welcomed everyone.”
Katharine is survived by her three children and their families: Katharine Huffman, John Rusciolelli, and children, Dominic Frank and Mary Katharine; Dora Huffman Mullenix, Jason Mullenix, and children, Joshua Phillips, Katharine Rebekah, and Noah Jackson; and Frank Jackson Huffman III. She is also survived by her sister, Jean Lorton, and brother-in-law Orlan Lorton; her sister-in-law, Martha Huffman; and many wonderful nieces, nephews, and cousins. She was predeceased by her beloved husband of 44 years, Frank Jackson Huffman, Jr.; and her parents, George P. Phillips, Jr., and Katharine Aiken Phillips.
The family asks that memorial gifts be sent to Second Baptist Church, the Metropolitan Inter-Faith Association (MIFA), or the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network. Visitation will take place at Memphis Funeral Home (5599 Poplar Avenue) on Sunday, September 10, from 3-5 p.m. The funeral service will be held at Second Baptist Church (4680 Walnut Grove Road) on Monday, September 11, at 10:30 a.m., with burial in Elmwood Cemetery.
Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.MemphisFuneralPoplar.com for the Huffman family.
