Rich Blake, Skagit Valley and Whidbey Clinic Chair
Long time Whidbey Island resident Jay Huff passed away April 11th 2015. He was a US Navy veteran and active model railroader in the Skagit and Island County areas for many years. Some of our older club members remember him as a gruff and tough Naval Officer who liked to be in charge. Nothing wrong with that as he was one of the Navy guys to get a model railroad club layout set up on the Navy Base on Whidbey Island back in the early 70’s. That club became the off-base Whidbey Island Railroad Club. These first steps formed the foundation of the 4the Division groups we now have in the Skagit Valley and Whidbey area along with the Mount Vernon Clinic. He also was involved with the Anacortes and Fidalgo Club layout. Many of the long timers in these groups knew Jay from way back and appreciate everything he contributed to the growth of model railroading in this area.
Jay was very fond of HO brass steam model collecting and was also fascinated in the different styles of bridge construction. He built many detailed bridges for various club layouts and became the subject matter expert on bridges for the region. He gave several clinics on this and other model railroading topics over the years.
Jay suffered a stroke some years ago which severely limited his mobility. This did not deter him, however, and he remained a dedicated modeler while continuing to attend the Skagit Valley and Whidbey Clinics as long as he could. He always kept his tough Navy guy demeanor but at the same time was actually a very generous and friendly person and always had something to contribute at the clinics I had the pleasure to share with him. His ability to overcome a terrible handicap and remain cheerful and upbeat will always be an inspiration to all who knew him.
Background information provided by Al Carter, Bill Harper, Terry Kandzor, Jack Tingstad, and John White.