Richard Lawrence Huff

Richard L. Huff of Athens, Georgia passed away the morning of Saturday, July 8th in John’s Creek Hospital after a series of illnesses that he’d rather not have. He’s survived by his loving wife of 54 years Nancy, son Brian, nephew James Corley and family, niece Cynthia Corley, and numerous cousins and friends that were very important to him.

Richard was 19 and 17 years younger than his sister Earnestine and brother Bill, respectively, and grew up essentially as the only child in the house with parents Earnest and Lizzie. As he described it, childhood was filled with family, friends, fishing trips with his father, food, church, and some harmless mischief. He ran track and discovered a love of singing at Athens High School, and moved away with his family to Daytona, Florida for an idyllic year gaining confidence in and a reputation for his singing ability before moving back to Athens and graduating.

He attended the University of Georgia then moved to Atlanta where he performed as part of “Theater Under the Stars” at Chastain Park, rehearsing at the Fox Theater and appearing in numerous musicals with visiting celebrities. A career singing Opera was his dream and a very real possibility for him, but never quite materialized as a sustainable living. Still, there was a demand for his talent and he sang professionally in various shows, at churches, funerals, weddings, and events (very often, very loudly, and very well) for most of his life.

He enlisted in the Navy during the Vietnam War and was stationed in Quonset Point, Rhode Island as part of a squadron for two years and was in the Reserves for another four. He looked back on his time in the Navy very fondly and although he never saw combat, he was proud to follow his Father, brother, and brother-in- law Ruel in a family tradition of service. By this point, he had met Nancy Barber of Atlanta when she accompanied him on piano at The University of Georgia. After dating, he proposed to her in front of Lincoln Center in New York City while still in the Navy and they were married on June 15th, 1969 at First Baptist Church in Roswell.

After living in Athens for a while, Richard and Nancy relocated to Atlanta and later Roswell, and made a life with their son surrounded by family and friends. He worked in the mortgage industry before transitioning into specialty advertising and eventually founded his own company, Constant Advertising, which he operated from 1991 until well into his seventies. Along the way, Richard traveled the Eastern United States extensively with Nancy, was a great source of support and comfort for her through their journey, and was a proud and exceptional father to Brian, always an ally. His entire life, he had a love of planes, airports, trains, the Georgia Bulldogs, his hometown, the Atlanta Falcons, music, animals, food in general (but especially barbeque) and above all, his family and friends. These relationships that mattered so much to him are where memories of him live, and where his absence will be felt the most in the future. Well done, Richard. We love you.

A visitation for Richard will be held Wednesday, July 12, 2023 from 10:30 AM to 12:00 PM at Roswell Funeral Home, 950 Mansell Road, Roswell, GA 30076, followed by a funeral service from 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.roswellfuneralhome.com for the Huff family.