He led the way, and she followed.
Genevieve J. Hufford (Jimi) followed the love of her life, Roger F. Hufford (Pud), on their final adventure. Jimi passed in her sleep at Regional West Medical Center at 10:23 pm on the 15th of Augustl, 2022, after a loving and fulfilled life.
They met at Scottsbluff Community College, and were married Sept. 18th, 1955. Pud later moved to California after the birth of their 1st son, Timothy Tyke. Jimi followed as soon as he found ahome and job. They lived there for 2 years, she gave birth to their 2nd son Brett Alvin. Roger was employed working at a service station for Standard Oil of California.
Pud was offered a job transfer to Mount Vernon, Washington. He went ahead,and Jimi stayed behind with the boys and finished getting everything ready to move, and then they followed. While living in Mount Vernon, their 3rd son, Kerry Palmer, was born. Jimi took work as a bookkeeper with the Libby’s corporation.
Shortly after, Pud was offered a job in Bellingham, where he worked at the bulk plant offloading fuels. He then transferred to Richmond Washington, then a year and a half later to Lacy Washington. Jimi found work in her field as a bookkeeper in each of these towns after she got settled.
In the spring of 1967, Pud was offered a position in Fairbanks, Alaska. Jimi stayed behind, getting everything packed up and the house sold, then followed her beloved husband to a new land and a new adventure. Arriving in Fairbanks in the middle of a snow storm in May, they promptly took up residence in the Golden Nugget Hotel, while they looked for a new home for their family. Unfortunately their arrival coincided with the ‘67 Tanana River flood, which took out or damaged a great number of homes.
After living in the Hotel for 11 months, Standard Oil of California transferred Pud to Anchorage, where he went to work in the bulk plant at the Port of Anchorage. Jimi followed, and they set up their new home.
Jimi again found work as a bookkeeper in a number of businesses, including Rudy’s Chevron, Pat’s Flying Services, Firestone, and a couple of other businesses, while Pud transferred from the bulk plant operations, to sales.
While Pud flew all over the state taking orders and delivering fuel products to villages across the state, she held down the home and got the boys to their sports and school events and multitude of other activities. She even stepped in when her boys’ YMCA basketball team lost their coach, and she stepped up to coach the team through out the season, winning the annual coach of the year at the winter banquet.
In 1975, Pud retired from Standard Oil of California. He then spent a couple of years selling cars. During this time, they discussed moving back to Nebraska to be close to family and home. So they put their home for sale, and moved to Minatare where they bought and ran the Rancho Tavern.
They lived there for 10 years, till they sold the Rancho Tavern. Pud decided to return to Alaska, while Jimi stayed behind and got every packed and drove up the Alcan Highway through Canada with all their belongings. Pud went to work as an armored car driver, and Jimi once again found work as a bookkeeper.
After a few years there, they once again packed up and moved to Prunedale, California, where they joined their son Brett, to help take care of some property and rentals they had inherited. Pud once again went to work as an armored car driver, while Jimi stayed home to help watch over her grandchildren.
After a few years there, her son got rid of the property, and Pud returned to the home they still owned in Minatare. Jimi stayed behind, and helped Brett get all of his possessions packed, and they drove from California, back to Minatare, stopping and exploring back roads the entire way.
When she returned to Minatare, she found work with the City of Minatare. Jimi and Pud became active in civic events and enjoyed being a part of Tabor Days in Minatare, and attending all the high school events that went on. During this time, Pud started showing signs of Dementia, and Alzheimers Disease, and so she devoted herself to caring for her beloved husband, up until the last couple of weeks of his life, where he passed on April 6th, 2014, at Chimney Rock Villa Nursing Home in Bayard. Once again, her beloved husband went ahead, and she stayed to finish up business.
Jimi continued to work on at the City of Minatare office where she mostly enjoyed getting to see and visit with everyone that walked threw the door. Jimi was very active and loved in the whole community. She was very active in every activity that ever took place in town. She was always the smiling face behind the Legion Fire works Stand, the concessions at the Christmas Parades, Tabor days parades, School Activities, Football Games, The town Halloween Spook houses, and was always on the commitees for the Veterans Day Parade, and fundraisers for the Minatare Volunteer Fire Dept. She was active in many areas of the City of Minatare, sitting in on the City board, the school board, and various city activity boards
She loved her friends and was extremely competitive and loved to play Bunco with her Bunco Squad as she called them. She loved and was loved by so many Friends and Family. You could always find her with a good mystery and has been through countless books. She had the biggest, most kindest, most giving and most forgiving heart as anyone you would ever meet. She would take in anyone.
If you ever needed to find her or a place to set and visit she could be found in her beautiful yard where she had so many flowers and flower beds. She would always pull out the Pepsi or coffee, tell the best stories with that genuine loving smile, and then end every visit with a huge hug and Say “getting my vitamin H”
Jimi was born to Laura (McCart) and Ernie Wilkins, on Nov.14th, 1935. She follows them, as well as her siblings, Edward Wilkins, Alvin Wilkins, Iona Engel, and a twin brother and sister who passed during infancy.
She is survived by her sons, Timothy, Brett, and Kerry, as well as her grandchildren Jordan Hufford, Becky Randall,(Timothy), Erin Rae Klein, Ciara Hufford, Bryce Hufford, and Zack Putnam (Brett), Katrina Hufford, Juliet Hufford, and Avery Hufford (Kerry).
Jimi is also survived by 2 brothers, Irvin Wilkins (Fairy), and Gordon Wilkins, as well as a plethora of nieces and nephews, great and great-great nieces and nephews as well. She also leaves behind many friends and acquaintances who were blessed to have known her or crossed her path.