Sharon Marie Huffman passed away on Tuesday, September 25, 2018, at the Riverside Regional Medical Center. She was born in Ironwood, Mich., on January 23, 1945, and grew up in Waukegan, Ill. After moving to Virginia Beach, Va., she took a job waiting tables at the Three Ships Inn, a fine dining seafood restaurant on Shore Drive. There she worked for owner, Les Rickman, a retired U.S. Marine Corps officer. Les became her mentor and remained a lifelong friend. After the Three Ships Inn, her love of being around people led her to a career in hotel conference and meeting sales. From 1980 to 1989, she worked for a number of hotels in the Virginia Beach area, including the old Cavalier. In 1989, she accepted a conference meeting coordinator position with the Bionetics Corporation at NASA Langley Research Center. There at an after work social, she met Bobby. It was obviously a mutual attraction love at first sight, since they were married less than a year later. After the wedding and move to Newport News, in 1991 she accepted a position with the Williamsburg Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, a division of the Chamber of Commerce. This position lasted until 2001 when she was forced to quit due to vision problems. She then worked at the Talbots ladies clothing store while it was located in the Hidenwood area and later at City Center in Newport News. Sharon was predeceased by her father, Thomas Cox; mother, Jenny Wieland Cox; sister, Shirley Walker; and brother, William Cox. She is survived by husband, Robert L. Huffman, Jr; son, Aaron McCarroll (Catherine) of Stafford, Va.; daughter, Dawn Hill (Devin) of Kansas City, Mo.; three granddaughters; four step- grandchildren; brother, David Cox; sister-in-law, Myrna Slayton (Johnny); and many nieces and nephews. Although the ravages of 52 years of type 1 diabetes limited her vision and mobility, Sharon always remained optimistic and had an upbeat attitude about life. She belonged to the James Landing Garden Club and got a lot of pleasure meeting with the club members. She liked to talk to people and never met a stranger. Leave her with anyone and within minutes she could get to know a lot about that person. She particularly enjoyed hearing about the accomplishments of her grandchildren. A self professed "Shopping Queen" she enjoyed going to the mall and looking at any and everything. Although she enjoyed entertaining, her declining health limited this later in life. The family would like to thank Doctors Edward Chu, David Connito, and Deborah Remchuk for their excellent care and counsel during the past few years. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the or in Sharon's name. A memorial service will be held at 2 pm on Saturday, October 20, 2018 at the Peninsula Funeral Home, 11144 Warwick Boulevard, Newport News with a reception following at the Kiln Creek Golf Club and Resort, 1003 Brick Kiln Boulevard, Newport News.
Published in Daily Press from Sept. 30 to Oct. 14, 2018