Ira Edward Wight Huffman
OBITUARY
With sadness, but also gratefulness, our family mourns the recent passing of Edward Wight Huffman at the age of 103 years in La Jolla, California. Edward was born to Frank Tytus Huffman and Jane Wight Huffman in Oakwood, Ohio and he often recalled his fondness for the wooded, park like setting of his backyard where he was introduced to the natural world of dragonflies, praying mantises and colorful beetles. He graduated from The Lawrenceville School and then continued his studies at Amherst College in 1941. However, WW2 interrupted those plans and Edward served his country in the Pacific with the US Navy.
With the end of the war Edward and Jane Kyle Taylor were married on June 15, 1946 in Oakwood, Ohio. Also, Edward continued his studies at the University of Illinois (MS) and then received his PhD in entomology at Ohio State University in 1955. While at OSU he created many of the illustrations in Borror & Delong’s classic text Introduction To The Study Of Insects. So while raised in a family of investment bankers and small industrialists his interest in the natural world remained.
Edward then began his career at California State University San Diego (1955 – 1980) in the zoology department teaching a number of classes that he really enjoyed: animal navigation, marine invertebrate biology and scientific illustration. In addition to teaching, Edward and Jane enjoyed traveling with family and friends to Europe and Latin America. But for the greatest fun Edward loved playing tennis with longtime friends Tracey Rogers, Arnie Wick and Dave Devlin.
Edward was a humorous, generous, honest and hardworking husband to Jane Taylor Huffman; father to Edward Huffman (Barbara), Kyle Huffman (Tom) and William Huffman; grandfather to Amanda Dzida (John) and Ian Cummins (Erika) and great-grandfather to Thomas, Edward Alejandro, Appolonia, Jane and Joseph.
Edward lived beyond all our expectations and his last request was for chocolate ice cream—he lived a good life and will be missed.