Nancy Joretta Hufford

Nancy Joretta (Tipper) Hufford passed away peacefully on March 7, 2023, at the age of 89. She was born on June 29, 1933, the first child of Telford Joseph Tipper and Loretta Maxine Costilow.  She grew up in the Adamston neighborhood of Clarksburg, WV, where she met her lifelong best friend and global traveling companion, Barbara Lough, who predeceased her in 2005.  She graduated in 1951 from Victory High School, where she met her future husband, James N. Hufford. They were married in 1955. Between 1951 and 1955, she and Jim each worked so that he could attend West Virginia University, from which he graduated in 1959. Following his graduation, they moved first to Columbus, Ohio, and then to the Washington DC area, where they lived from 1963 to 2018, first in Falls Church, Virginia, and later in Reston, Virginia.  Professionally, she served for many years as a communications supervisor for National Wildlife Federation (which gave her access to ample back issues of “Ranger Rick” magazine that she shared liberally with her grandchildren).

Nancy was predeceased in June 2016 by her daughter, Debby Lyn Nolan. She is survived by her husband of 67 years, Jim; her son J. Stephen Hufford and his wife Jenny Tickle Hufford; and Christopher Nolan, Debby’s husband.  In addition, Nancy is survived by five grandchildren who loved her dearly: Steve’s daughters Madison Sloan, Caroline Bone and Emily Hufford; and Debby’s daughters, Lindsay Nolan-Swann and Colleen Nolan-Pate. She also had five great-grandchildren, all of whom she met and held in her arms in the final years of her life.  As a grandmother, she was referred to as “Bugga”, the name bestowed on her by her first grandchild, Lindsay. The name stuck, and she was “Bugga” from then on, at least until later in her life when the definite article suddenly just magically appeared as an honorific attachment to the name (at which time she became “The Bugga”) in recognition of that fact that she was and would be THE only Bugga of all time. She is also survived by an adoring group of nieces and nephews, as well as her dear friends from Reston, David Herring and Darcie Davis.

Nancy had a sharp mind, and she loved to travel the world and to read.  She was incredibly generous (all her grandchildren remember leaving her house with a $20 bill stuffed in their pocket on the way out the door).  She had a great wit and sense of humor, and was quite a character. As just one example, Nancy entertained her grandchildren with the “Sock of the Month Club,” whose president was “Ima Nutt”.  (Members of this club received free pairs of crazy socks, which arrived in the mail monthly.) As a parent, she was passionate about her children’s success, and she passed along to her children her high standards of commitment, achievement and personal integrity, which stood the test of time as her children developed into adults with families and careers of their own.  These characteristics live on her grandchildren and represent her great legacy. She loved her family and was without question the greatest wife, mother and grandmother of all time.

Nancy’s family is grateful for the loving service of those who took care of her in her final months – Famta Jallow, Iesha Jones and Eunice Kimani all come to mind. These ladies were the hands and feet of God to Nancy and Jim in these hard days, and we would be remiss not to publicly thank them for their caring service.

Her absence leaves a big hole in the life of her extended family, especially for her husband, Jim, and she is already greatly missed. A remembrance service is planned in her honor at Buckhead Church, Atlanta, Georgia, for 11:00am on Tuesday, March 28.