Joanne Friend Huffman

Joanne Friend Huffman

November 17,1937 – August 13, 2025

    An art student in the Fine Arts building on the oval at The Ohio State University looked out of the window and beheld a parade of convertibles carrying selected candidates for the sorority pledge princess contest. They waved at the bystanders. He noticed a particularly beautiful girl and thought that he would like to know her. As fate would have it, they were introduced at a party several years later and that was the beginning of a beautiful romance which lasted for over sixty years.

    Joanne was the beloved wife of James Wylie Huffman, Jr. She was raised in Canal Winchester, Ohio, and graduated from Stephens College in 1957. She went on to earn her degree from The Ohio State University School of Nursing in 1961.

      Joanne was well respected in the nursing profession. She started her career as a surgical nurse in Columbus, Ohio. Then she and her husband moved to Taos, New Mexico in 1968 where she was the head nurse of the outpatient department of the Embudo Presbyterian Hospital.

      In 1975, Joanne and her husband moved back to Pickerington, Ohio where she was a loving stay at home mom on their family farm. She loved being a stay-at-home mom for 15 years before going back to the nursing profession. She worked in several long-term care facilities around Columbus and gained a reputation as a skin care nurse.

      She enjoyed her time in Ohio, but the mountains of Taos, NM always called to her. In 2019, she and her husband moved back to Ranchos de Taos where she looked forward to the beautiful sunsets, knitting, and baking, and seeing her children and grandchildren.

    In addition to her husband, Joanne is survived by her children, James Wylie Huffman III, retired Lt. Col. of Artillery (Lydia) of Theresa, NY and Margaretanne Huffman Sabata (Andrew, Lt. Col.) of Overland Park, KS.

Grandchildren:

• From James and Lydia Huffman: Victoria and James IV
• From Margaretanne and Andrew Sabata: Tommy and Maggie

A celebration of Joanne's life will be next summer in Arroyo Seco.