Kathy Ann Goodwin Huffman, 65, of Hot Springs Village, Arkansas, passed away on Tuesday, July 11 in National Park Medical Center, surrounded by her loving family.
Kathy was born on December 20, 1957 in Garland, Texas to Jewell Ray and Virgie Merle Mills Goodwin. She loved growing up in Red Lick, Texas and was an active member of Red Lick United Methodist Church. She graduated from Hooks High School in 1975, and especially enjoyed her years in the high school marching band as a majorette.
On February 15, 1974, Kathy married the love of her life, Chuck Huffman. They were blessed with two children: daughter Chasity and son Eric. Kathy worked for over 20 years as a hairdresser and held various other jobs. She served in many positions in her church, including as youth director, and as choir director for adults and children. She became a United Methodist pastor’s wife in 1995, and she loved that ministry and lived it to the fullest, serving God’s people in so many different ways wherever she lived and traveled, including several mission trips to Belize, Mexico, Alaska, and Costa Rica. She led children’s choirs in almost every church they served. At various churches, she also coordinated and cooked Wednesday night church-wide meals, organized and directed a free hot lunch ministry every Saturday to any and all who would come, and helped to organize a monthly food pantry.
Kathy was a survivor of breast and thyroid cancers over the last 16 years, and was in ongoing treatment for pancreatic, lung and brain cancers over the past 4 years. She definitely fought the good fight until the very end, and tried to make the most out of every day and moment and opportunity that life afforded her. Through it all, she kept her amazing sense of humor, her deep and abiding love for people, her strong faith, her sense of wonder and appreciation for the beauty of God’s creation, and her love of travel and adventure. She was and is an inspiration to many, and she is loved and admired for her courage and strength, and her compassion and kindness.
Kathy was preceded in death by her parents, and by her sisters – Sue Goodwin and Barbara Poole. She is survived by her husband, Chuck of Hot Springs Village; her daughter, Chasity Lansdell and her partner, Taryn Burton of Flower Mound, Texas; her son, Eric Huffman and his wife, Geovanna of Houston; her sister, Amy Kirk and her husband, Tony of Texarkana; four grandchildren: Josey Lansdell, Joelle Huffman, Abbie Lansdell, and Koen Huffman; her “sister-cousin”, Judy Ticer and her husband Richard of Tulsa, Oklahoma; a number of nieces and nephews and cousins, and a multitude of dear friends.
Memorial services with receptions to follow will be held on Saturday, July 15 at 2pm at Williams Memorial United Methodist Church, 4000 Moores Lane in Texarkana, Texas; and on Saturday, July 22 at 3pm at St. Paul’s United Methodist Church, 5501 Main St, Houston.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Hooks High School Band Boosters, 100 E. Fifth St., Hooks, TX 75561.