Nelda Beasley Huff

Nelda Beasley Huff

Nelda Brown Beasley Huff died on Wednesday, December 31, 2014. She was born July 24, 1923 in Tela, Honduras, to James Goodwin Beasley and Olive McClellan Steadham Beasley.

Nelda lived in Tela, where her father was port superintendent for United Fruit Company. She said it was an idyllic childhood, swimming in the ocean, climbing coconut trees, and riding horses on the beach. She moved back to Auburn, Alabama, in her teens where she graduated from Auburn High. Nelda attended API (now Auburn University) majoring in sociology, and was a member of Alpha Gamma Delta sorority. It was at Auburn where she met her “dream boat”, Robert McDuffie “Bob” Huff, Jr. They were married in 1943, in Auburn, and had four children. In 1946, after World War II, they moved to Beaumont when Bob began working for Magnolia Petroleum Company (now Exxon-Mobil). 

Nelda was an active member of First Methodist Church and later Trinity United Methodist Church. She taught Sunday school, was on altar guild, and was active in United Methodist Women and the prayer ministry. She taught swimming classes in life saving for the American Red Cross for a number of years, was a cub scout den mother, a member of the Camelia Society of SETX, and an avid tennis player.  She and Bob shared many happy memories at their beach house in Crystal Beach and enjoyed fishing in the Gulf with friends and family.

She was preceded in death by her parents; her sister, Jean Beasley Chrietzberg; her brother, James Gordon Beasley; and her “ever lovin” husband of sixty-seven years, Robert McDuffie “Bob” Huff, Jr. 

She is survived by her sons, Dan Edward and his wife, Joan of Georgia, Texas, and James Robert and his wife Debra of Glen Allen, Virginia; her daughters, Nana Beasley Huff and Melanie Huff of Beaumont; grandchildren, Jason Robert Huff, Layla Jean Huff, Regina Leigh Huff, Rebecca Gordon, and Joshua Manson; five great-grandchildren; nephews, Robert Norman Olive and his wife, Antonia and James Gordon Chrietzberg and wife, Rebecca; nieces, Beverly Beasley Garcia and her husband, David and Farron Cita Messina and her husband, Jim; cousins, John Bruce Martin and his wife, Phyllis; Herbert Martin and his wife, Zehron; Terence Martin and his wife, Susan; Kelly Martin Laney; and Modesta Logan.

Nelda and her  family would like to thank her physicians:  Herbert Hennington (deceased),  Gary Vaughn, Timothy Colgan, Greg Gilbreath, Ronald Palang and his nurse, Rose, Denton Harris, Joseph Holland, Mary Olsen, Jose Ortiz, Susan Hyman, Jackson Porter, Sujin Yu, Richard Levacy, Neil Burrell, Ray Fontenot; her dear friend and physical therapist, Mel Aligsao; and home health nurses, Marietta and Marlene.

Nelda especially wanted to thank Al Wehner, DVM, for all his years of caring for family pets and for his kindness and friendship shared with our family.

Mrs. Huff’s memorial service will be held at Trinity United Methodist Church in the sanctuary, with a reception following in the Nita Mcknight parlor, on Tuesday, January 6, 2015 at 11:00 a.m. Interment will be at Loachapoka Cemetary in Loachapoka, Alabama, in the spring.

Memorial contributions may be made to the charity of one’s choice; Trinity United Methodist Church, 3430 Harrison Avenue, Beaumont, Texas  77706; The Humane Society of Southeast Texas, P.O. Box 1629, Beaumont, Texas 77704; Doctors without Borders, P.O. Box 5030, Hargertown, Maryland 21741; or Wounded Warriors, 4899 Belfort Road, Suite 300, Jacksonville, Florida 32256.