Aurale (Lee) Huff of Harwood, TX, passed away early Saturday morning at Seton Medical Center-Hays, in Kyle. Services were held at the Harwood Cemetery, Sunday, January 10, 2010. She was born in Harwood to Walter and Iva Huff and was preceded in death by her parents; two brothers, Walter Huff, Jr. and Wayne Huff; her sister, Martha Lewis; a son, John Holbrook; a daughter, Melinda Antuna, two granddaughters, Heather Windham and Carrie Antuna, and great-granddaughter, Kindra Albert.

Being mechanically inclined, at the age of 25, Lee rebuilt a Hillman-Minx automobile engine with no help other than instruction from her father, who had built airplanes in Harwood while she was a small child.

Lee learned her trade in the family newspaper business and, known as a “tramp printer,” travelled across the United States working in newspapers in Houston TX, San Francisco CA, Cincinnati OH, Detroit MI, Modesto CA, and San Antonio TX, where she was a Linotype operator, type-setter and, later, a computer operator. She was the first in her family to become a member of the International Typographical Union.

Lee was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, where she played the piano, the organ, and taught Sunday School and Family History classes to others. She loved music. She was devoted to doing Family History in the church and was, at the time of her death an active full-time missionary serving as a family history consultant and guide to people from around the world who are searching for their roots. Lee has contributed volumes of information to the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, UT, which is now available online to the world. Her contributions to the family history records in both the Gonzales County Archives and the Luling Family History Center are available to all who seek the information and wish to continue the great work in which she was so eagerly and passionately engaged.

Lee is survived by six children: Jennie Conley of Idaho, Karel Holbrook of California, Peggy (spouse Michael) Aspinwall of Arizona, Philip (spouse Karin) of Colorado, Iva Antuna of Harwood and Sally (spouse Daniel) Windham of Kyle. She also leaves twenty-six grandchildren, thirty-three great-grandchildren, three great-great grandchildren; one brother, Wallace Huff of Ohio; two sisters, Rosemary Smith of Harwood and Frances DeChane of Michigan, and many nieces, nephew, cousins, and countless friends throughout the world. She was a wonderful mother, sister, and friend and she will be sadly missed.

Sentiments from TXGenWeb CC Friends

It is with a heavy heart that I post this message.
 Aurale "Lee" Huff, long-time CC of Gonzales & Caldwell Counties,
passed away on January 9, 2010. She will be missed.

Shirley Cullum

Aurale "Lee" was one of the first CCs in TXGenWeb best I can tell.  She
became a part of TXGenWeb in August of 1996 by invitation from our
original SC Mike Basham. She was a TXGenWeb Pioneer and helped blaze the
trail for the rest of us.  Her shoes are unfillable, but we will
struggle to do the best we can.

For our newbies, in the beginning they were just looking for warm bodies
to put their name on a county website for mainly answering queries.  At
that time they did not have many of the counties covered with a CC and
about all the county sites had on them were a few addresses and
hopefully someone to answer any emails that came in.  Lee was willing to
learn about websites was a major part of helping TXGenWeb grow into what
it is today.  She stuck with it and helped countless genealogy patrons
in more ways that we could ever count.

Lee's memory will remain with TXGenWeb and even though she isn't with us
in person, the work she put into TXGenWeb will continue to help the
TXGenWeb patrons.

Elaine Martin

Nancy Hickman
one of two CCs trying to fill her shoes.

My prayers go out to the family.

Jane Keppler

I never met Lee in person. My family history goes through Gonzales and then Caldwell County, and I was the personal beneficiary over several years of her willingness to help and her great knowledge of the history and genealogy of the two counties.  I am sorry for the loss to her family, to her friends, and to the community she so willingly served.

Marcy Porter
 

She was also an ARGenWeb CC starting in September 1996 and will truly
be missed.  Her work touched many researchers.  Although I had never
met her, Aurale was certainly a friend to me.

Betsy

That is a big loss to TXGenWeb. She has done some outstanding work and
has been an active participant in so much of our activity. She will
indeed be missed. May God be with her family as they deal with this time
of grief.

John Quigley

My heart goes out to the family. May God be with them at this time of
sorrow.

Susan Collard

My heartfelt prayers and sympathy to the family.

Jo