BRISTOL, VIRGINIA – Willis Russell Hufstedler, 94, born on Thursday, July 26, 1928, in Noland, Arkansas, died Sunday, May 28, 2023, in Bristol, Tennessee.
Willis "Russ" Hufstedler was born to the late Julian Edgar Hufstedler and Clara Slayton Hufstedler and was the second youngest of seven siblings. He is preceded in death by five brothers, Amos, Jewel, Cecil, William, and Zan; one sister, Edna; wife of his first marriage (1950 until 1975), Norma Freymiller; and one daughter-in-law, Bess Hufstedler. He grew up on a farm in Pocahontas, Arkansas, and told stories of having horses, cows, pigs, chickens, dogs, and home-cooked meals made with butter that he would take turns churning himself.
He is survived by: As per Find a Grave's new rules the survivor section of the obituary is omitted.
As a young man, Russ enlisted in the Army. He was stationed stateside at various bases, most notably Fort Lewis in Tacoma, Washington. He was active from 1948 to 1950 and served in the Army Reserves from 1950 to 1955. He learned to play golf there, and a life-long love affair was born.
He was a good athlete and participated in many sports over the years; archery, skeet shooting, fishing, and softball, but golf and bowling were his passions. He had a wicked drive from the tee and could boast four holes-in-one in his lifetime. How bowling came into his life is unclear, but he was a scratch bowler with a mean left curve and always seemed to be on one or more teams. He kept it up as long as he could, with people helping him to spot his shots and guide him to the arrows on the alley — and even then, he was still better than many people with good vision! It was a great sadness to him that impaired vision later in life left him unable to golf and bowl.
When he left the Army, he moved to Rockford, Illinois, joining several of his brothers and starting his career of "fixing stuff." There was nothing that Russ couldn't take apart and put back together to make it work properly. He kept many factory machines up and running at Roper and then at Warner Lambert, where he met Dorothy.
After they both retired, they moved to Bristol, Virginia in 1990. Russ and Dorothy were West Hills Christian Church members in Bristol, Tennessee, for over thirty years. It wasn't long before Russ became a ranger at Clear Creek Golf Club in Bristol, Virginia, driving the public course in a cart, talking with all the regulars who knew him, and keeping play moving – a role he enjoyed for over twenty years. He bowled in a league for many years, and drove, while Dorothy chaperoned, several trips organized for seniors through the Douglas Senior Center. In his later years, he became an avid watcher of black-and-white Westerns – movies and shows such as "Gunsmoke," "Bonanza," "Rawhide," and "The Virginian." He could always tell you when the outlaw was about to shoot from behind a rock, or the sheriff would come to a visitor's rescue. "The Andy Griffith Show," "Gomer Pyle," and "Everybody Loves Raymond" were also favorites.
Funeral Services for Willis Russell Hufstedler will be conducted at 11:00 a.m., Saturday, June 3, 2023, at West Hills Christian Church, Bristol, Tennessee, with Pastor John Jones officiating. Interment will follow in Temple Hill Memorial Park, Castlewood, Virginia. Pallbearers will be family and friends.
The family will receive friends from 10:00 a.m. until 11:00 a.m., Saturday, June 3, 2023, at West Hills Christian Church, Bristol, Tennessee. For those who are interested in sending flowers for the service on Saturday, June 3, the family requests that people contact Janie's Country Gallery Florists in Bristol, Virginia, at (276) 669-8099. Online condolences may be sent to the Hufstedler family through our website at www.castlewoodfuneralhome.com. Castlewood Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Willis "Russ" Hufstedler was born to the late Julian Edgar Hufstedler and Clara Slayton Hufstedler and was the second youngest of seven siblings. He is preceded in death by five brothers, Amos, Jewel, Cecil, William, and Zan; one sister, Edna; wife of his first marriage (1950 until 1975), Norma Freymiller; and one daughter-in-law, Bess Hufstedler. He grew up on a farm in Pocahontas, Arkansas, and told stories of having horses, cows, pigs, chickens, dogs, and home-cooked meals made with butter that he would take turns churning himself.
He is survived by: As per Find a Grave's new rules the survivor section of the obituary is omitted.
As a young man, Russ enlisted in the Army. He was stationed stateside at various bases, most notably Fort Lewis in Tacoma, Washington. He was active from 1948 to 1950 and served in the Army Reserves from 1950 to 1955. He learned to play golf there, and a life-long love affair was born.
He was a good athlete and participated in many sports over the years; archery, skeet shooting, fishing, and softball, but golf and bowling were his passions. He had a wicked drive from the tee and could boast four holes-in-one in his lifetime. How bowling came into his life is unclear, but he was a scratch bowler with a mean left curve and always seemed to be on one or more teams. He kept it up as long as he could, with people helping him to spot his shots and guide him to the arrows on the alley — and even then, he was still better than many people with good vision! It was a great sadness to him that impaired vision later in life left him unable to golf and bowl.
When he left the Army, he moved to Rockford, Illinois, joining several of his brothers and starting his career of "fixing stuff." There was nothing that Russ couldn't take apart and put back together to make it work properly. He kept many factory machines up and running at Roper and then at Warner Lambert, where he met Dorothy.
After they both retired, they moved to Bristol, Virginia in 1990. Russ and Dorothy were West Hills Christian Church members in Bristol, Tennessee, for over thirty years. It wasn't long before Russ became a ranger at Clear Creek Golf Club in Bristol, Virginia, driving the public course in a cart, talking with all the regulars who knew him, and keeping play moving – a role he enjoyed for over twenty years. He bowled in a league for many years, and drove, while Dorothy chaperoned, several trips organized for seniors through the Douglas Senior Center. In his later years, he became an avid watcher of black-and-white Westerns – movies and shows such as "Gunsmoke," "Bonanza," "Rawhide," and "The Virginian." He could always tell you when the outlaw was about to shoot from behind a rock, or the sheriff would come to a visitor's rescue. "The Andy Griffith Show," "Gomer Pyle," and "Everybody Loves Raymond" were also favorites.
Funeral Services for Willis Russell Hufstedler will be conducted at 11:00 a.m., Saturday, June 3, 2023, at West Hills Christian Church, Bristol, Tennessee, with Pastor John Jones officiating. Interment will follow in Temple Hill Memorial Park, Castlewood, Virginia. Pallbearers will be family and friends.
The family will receive friends from 10:00 a.m. until 11:00 a.m., Saturday, June 3, 2023, at West Hills Christian Church, Bristol, Tennessee. For those who are interested in sending flowers for the service on Saturday, June 3, the family requests that people contact Janie's Country Gallery Florists in Bristol, Virginia, at (276) 669-8099. Online condolences may be sent to the Hufstedler family through our website at www.castlewoodfuneralhome.com. Castlewood Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
BRISTOL, VIRGINIA – Willis Russell Hufstedler, 94, born on Thursday, July 26, 1928, in Noland, Arkansas, died Sunday, May 28, 2023, in Bristol, Tennessee.
Willis "Russ" Hufstedler was born to the late Julian Edgar Hufstedler and Clara Slayton Hufstedler and was the second youngest of seven siblings. He is preceded in death by five brothers, Amos, Jewel, Cecil, William, and Zan; one sister, Edna; wife of his first marriage (1950 until 1975), Norma Freymiller; and one daughter-in-law, Bess Hufstedler. He grew up on a farm in Pocahontas, Arkansas, and told stories of having horses, cows, pigs, chickens, dogs, and home-cooked meals made with butter that he would take turns churning himself.
He is survived by: As per Find a Grave's new rules the survivor section of the obituary is omitted.
As a young man, Russ enlisted in the Army. He was stationed stateside at various bases, most notably Fort Lewis in Tacoma, Washington. He was active from 1948 to 1950 and served in the Army Reserves from 1950 to 1955. He learned to play golf there, and a life-long love affair was born.
He was a good athlete and participated in many sports over the years; archery, skeet shooting, fishing, and softball, but golf and bowling were his passions. He had a wicked drive from the tee and could boast four holes-in-one in his lifetime. How bowling came into his life is unclear, but he was a scratch bowler with a mean left curve and always seemed to be on one or more teams. He kept it up as long as he could, with people helping him to spot his shots and guide him to the arrows on the alley — and even then, he was still better than many people with good vision! It was a great sadness to him that impaired vision later in life left him unable to golf and bowl.
When he left the Army, he moved to Rockford, Illinois, joining several of his brothers and starting his career of "fixing stuff." There was nothing that Russ couldn't take apart and put back together to make it work properly. He kept many factory machines up and running at Roper and then at Warner Lambert, where he met Dorothy.
After they both retired, they moved to Bristol, Virginia in 1990. Russ and Dorothy were West Hills Christian Church members in Bristol, Tennessee, for over thirty years. It wasn't long before Russ became a ranger at Clear Creek Golf Club in Bristol, Virginia, driving the public course in a cart, talking with all the regulars who knew him, and keeping play moving – a role he enjoyed for over twenty years. He bowled in a league for many years, and drove, while Dorothy chaperoned, several trips organized for seniors through the Douglas Senior Center. In his later years, he became an avid watcher of black-and-white Westerns – movies and shows such as "Gunsmoke," "Bonanza," "Rawhide," and "The Virginian." He could always tell you when the outlaw was about to shoot from behind a rock, or the sheriff would come to a visitor's rescue. "The Andy Griffith Show," "Gomer Pyle," and "Everybody Loves Raymond" were also favorites.
Funeral Services for Willis Russell Hufstedler will be conducted at 11:00 a.m., Saturday, June 3, 2023, at West Hills Christian Church, Bristol, Tennessee, with Pastor John Jones officiating. Interment will follow in Temple Hill Memorial Park, Castlewood, Virginia. Pallbearers will be family and friends.
The family will receive friends from 10:00 a.m. until 11:00 a.m., Saturday, June 3, 2023, at West Hills Christian Church, Bristol, Tennessee. For those who are interested in sending flowers for the service on Saturday, June 3, the family requests that people contact Janie's Country Gallery Florists in Bristol, Virginia, at (276) 669-8099. Online condolences may be sent to the Hufstedler family through our website at www.castlewoodfuneralhome.com. Castlewood Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Willis "Russ" Hufstedler was born to the late Julian Edgar Hufstedler and Clara Slayton Hufstedler and was the second youngest of seven siblings. He is preceded in death by five brothers, Amos, Jewel, Cecil, William, and Zan; one sister, Edna; wife of his first marriage (1950 until 1975), Norma Freymiller; and one daughter-in-law, Bess Hufstedler. He grew up on a farm in Pocahontas, Arkansas, and told stories of having horses, cows, pigs, chickens, dogs, and home-cooked meals made with butter that he would take turns churning himself.
He is survived by: As per Find a Grave's new rules the survivor section of the obituary is omitted.
As a young man, Russ enlisted in the Army. He was stationed stateside at various bases, most notably Fort Lewis in Tacoma, Washington. He was active from 1948 to 1950 and served in the Army Reserves from 1950 to 1955. He learned to play golf there, and a life-long love affair was born.
He was a good athlete and participated in many sports over the years; archery, skeet shooting, fishing, and softball, but golf and bowling were his passions. He had a wicked drive from the tee and could boast four holes-in-one in his lifetime. How bowling came into his life is unclear, but he was a scratch bowler with a mean left curve and always seemed to be on one or more teams. He kept it up as long as he could, with people helping him to spot his shots and guide him to the arrows on the alley — and even then, he was still better than many people with good vision! It was a great sadness to him that impaired vision later in life left him unable to golf and bowl.
When he left the Army, he moved to Rockford, Illinois, joining several of his brothers and starting his career of "fixing stuff." There was nothing that Russ couldn't take apart and put back together to make it work properly. He kept many factory machines up and running at Roper and then at Warner Lambert, where he met Dorothy.
After they both retired, they moved to Bristol, Virginia in 1990. Russ and Dorothy were West Hills Christian Church members in Bristol, Tennessee, for over thirty years. It wasn't long before Russ became a ranger at Clear Creek Golf Club in Bristol, Virginia, driving the public course in a cart, talking with all the regulars who knew him, and keeping play moving – a role he enjoyed for over twenty years. He bowled in a league for many years, and drove, while Dorothy chaperoned, several trips organized for seniors through the Douglas Senior Center. In his later years, he became an avid watcher of black-and-white Westerns – movies and shows such as "Gunsmoke," "Bonanza," "Rawhide," and "The Virginian." He could always tell you when the outlaw was about to shoot from behind a rock, or the sheriff would come to a visitor's rescue. "The Andy Griffith Show," "Gomer Pyle," and "Everybody Loves Raymond" were also favorites.
Funeral Services for Willis Russell Hufstedler will be conducted at 11:00 a.m., Saturday, June 3, 2023, at West Hills Christian Church, Bristol, Tennessee, with Pastor John Jones officiating. Interment will follow in Temple Hill Memorial Park, Castlewood, Virginia. Pallbearers will be family and friends.
The family will receive friends from 10:00 a.m. until 11:00 a.m., Saturday, June 3, 2023, at West Hills Christian Church, Bristol, Tennessee. For those who are interested in sending flowers for the service on Saturday, June 3, the family requests that people contact Janie's Country Gallery Florists in Bristol, Virginia, at (276) 669-8099. Online condolences may be sent to the Hufstedler family through our website at www.castlewoodfuneralhome.com. Castlewood Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
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