Troy M. Huddle

Due to the current pandemic of 2020, immediate family will see him off in a closed ceremony.  A memorial ceremony is planned for July 2021 for all his friends and loved ones who would like to attend once COVID has passed.

Troy Mabry Huddle age 94 years 361 days of Highland, IL passed away at 7:01 AM on July 26, 2020 at Barnes Jewish Hospital in St. Louis, Missouri.

He was born on July 31, 1925 to Marion David and Mary Belle Rosenbaum Huddle in Goodman, Mississippi in Holmes County. He was the youngest of seven children of a Lutheran circuit preacher father and a former Montana homesteader/school teacher mother.

He is survived by his wife of 57 years Yoshiko Chitose Huddle, his six sons, Michael, Peter (Suzanne), Paul, Mark (Marie), David (Laura) and Daniel; eight grandchildren: Nicholas, Nathan, Maya, Zachariah, Matthew, Michio, Jeremiah, and Mabry; and one older brother Benjamin Paul Huddle (1916).  He was predeceased by: Keller Yonce (1912-1985), Harold Brown (1915-1999), Carl Eugene (1919-1919), Andrew George (1921-1991), and Elizabeth Carolina (1923-1997).

Troy grew up during the Great Depression in the area of Rural Retreat, Virginia and was always active as a child. He would tell a story of his mother catching him and his brothers after riding the cows around the pasture, “You haven’t done anything new but you just do it in a different way.” Troy lived his life in a different way and it was a series of stories which he loved to share with others. His parents allowed him to sign up for the military in 1942 at the age of 17 and directed him to join the Coast Guard so that he could remain close to home as the youngest son.  Naturally, upon completing training as an electrician’s mate in Philadelphia, he was promptly deployed to the South Pacific where he served until February 1946.  Following discharge from the Coast Guard, he briefly attended Lenoir-Rhyne College in 1946-1947 before joining the newly created Air Force in 1948. His career in the USAF took him across the United States and around the world. In his travels, he visited every state in the Union as well as multiple countries in Europe, Africa, Asia and even to the Arctic Circle on an iceberg. Not only was he a veteran of World War II, he also served during the Korean War and was one of the first to deploy to South Vietnam to set up air bases as an electrician following the Gulf of Tonkin incident.

After retiring from the USAF as a Master Sergeant on his birthday in 1975, he began work for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on the Clarence Cannon Dam Project in Missouri. He later transitioned to the General Services Administration, and finally St. Louis VA Medical Center, Jefferson Barracks, where he worked as an electrician until his 2nd retirement on his birthday in 1992.

Troy was active in retirement with the George Rogers Clark Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution where he was once chapter president as well as volunteering at the VA hospital and was an active member of VFW Post 5694 in Highland, IL with his oldest son.  Some of Troy’s favorite things were good food (ice cream), traveling, gardening, tinkering in his shop, telling stories, and spending time with family. Whenever he was able to combine any of those things that was when he was happiest. He was a stubborn, devout, generous, and a unique individual who was greatly respected and will be missed by all who were fortunate enough to meet him.

Due to the current pandemic of 2020, immediate family will see him off in a closed ceremony on August 1, 2020.  A memorial ceremony is planned for July 2021 for all his friends and loved ones who would like to attend once COVID has passed.

He will be laid to rest at Marine Cemetery next year on the anniversary of his birth July 31, 2021.

In Lieu of Donations/flowers, Online condolences and fond memories may be left for the family at www.meridithfuneralhome.com.  Donations can be made out to VFW Post 5694, 1900 VFW Road, Highland, IL 62249 or the Hope Lutheran Church, 2745 Broadway, Highland, IL 62249.

Meridith Funeral Home, Highland, IL.