URBANA - Mary Josefovich Huff, 89, of Urbana passed away at 6:40 p.m. Friday (April 1, 2011) at home, surrounded by her loving and devoted family. Mary is survived by her husband William (Bill) H. Huff, four sons and a daughter: Craig Huff (Debbie) of Urbana; Bryan Huff (Yan Liu) of Philo; Glenn Huff (Teresa) of Urbana; Dale Huff (Debra Book) of Urbana; Cathy Demeroukas (Chris) of Greenview, IL; grandchildren Aaron Huff, Jonathan Huff, Angela Cross (Justin) , Nathan Huff, Sophia Huff, Michelle Demeroukas, and Alex Demeroukas. She also had two great-grandchildren, Tristan and Emily Cross. A brother John Joseph (Carol) of McClenny, Florida and sister Arlene Cuz (Mike) of Higgins Lake, Michigan and Lake Havasu, Arizona also survive. She was predeceased by sister Rosie Dickinson of Flint, Michigan and brother Myron Josef, also of Flint, Michigan.

A daughter of Ukrainian immigrants, she was born in Flint, Michigan on February 19, 1922 to Gregory and Rosalia Josefovich, their first child. Mary grew up on a farm near Flint where she lived a rural life; on occasion she rode a cow to the one-room schoolhouse she attended, picking cucumbers for Aunt Jane's pickle company from her parents' truck garden in the summer, and doing farm chores. After high school she moved to Detroit and worked for the U. S. Army. She volunteered to join the Women's Army Corp and served as a secretary and stenographer at Fort Sheridan, Illinois, Fort Custer, Michigan, Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia and then in the South Pacific theatre during World War II where she was stationed in Hollandia, Dutch New Guinea and Manila, the Philippines. (A detailed interview with Mary describing her wartime and other experiences may be found on the web at: http://wwii.ltc.k12.il.us/portal/wwii/WWIIClassroomProjectVideos/TabId/81/VideoId/210/Mary-Huff.aspx (Thank you Franklin Middle School teacher Ms. Trina Wetzel and her students for this production, part of their World War II veterans project).

After the war, Mary received a degree in English from the University of Michigan where she also met her future husband, Bill. They married on October 27, 1951 in Chicago at the Little Country Church in the City. Mary and Bill moved to Urbana in 1957 where they raised their five children and have lived ever since. They were active members of the of the Unitarian Universalist church for decades until Mary's health began to decline. Mary returned to school and received a Master Degree in Library Science from the University of Illinois. She worked as the Librarian for Urbana High School from 1971 to her retirement in 1983. After retirement, she and Bill traveled overseas to Australia, Asia, Central America and Europe. They also traveled extensively within the US, and enjoyed spending the winter months on the inter-coastal waterway in Port Orange, Florida watching birds and sea life from their yard and the picture windows of their home.

Mary enjoyed her family and everything life has to offer. She was a voracious reader of all topics, including reading French novels in French. She was an enthusiastic amateur bridge player, a walking encyclopedia of names, places and dates for her husband Bill, and a compassionate animal lover. Mary also enjoyed knitting, rug hooking, upholstering, wood carving, garage sale hunting, listening to music, playing the harmonica, gardening, canning, pickling, tasting foods from all cultures, doing the New York Times crossword puzzle and meeting people of every type. She loved to learn new things such as foreign languages, and the newest video and computer technologies. She kept herself well informed and very interested in current events and politics in the local, national and international communities, and read the newspaper in great detail every day.

Mary expressed only kindness. She appreciated the value of small things others ignore. She noticed the minute details others often overlook. Mary saw the uniqueness in the common. She encouraged instead of criticized. She endured instead of complained. Mary's greatest joy was seeing happiness in others and she was returned much happiness by those who loved her.

The family would truly like to thank Carle Hospital's Rogers 6th floor medical staff and other Carle staff that tended to her, as well as the staff at the Champaign County Nursing Home for their compassionate, gentle and professional care of Mary during the last months of her life. We appreciate their concern and kindness. A memorial service and celebration of her life will be held at 3:00 pm Saturday April 23, 2011 at the Unitarian Universalist Church, 309 W. Green St., Urbana, IL.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Unitarian Universalist Church of Urbana, the Champaign County Humane Society, or the Urbana High School Library.