Still preaching at 80: A life of love

Video posted April 15, 2013 in News by Tyler Estright

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Norman Huff thought he was retiring. A retirement party was put together and everything was set for the occasion in 1994, but even after his retirement he did not want to stop what he had been doing his entire life. He continuined to fill in at churches that needed him. Now 20 years later, Reverend Huff is preaching full time again in Spruce Creek at the First Presbyterian Church.

For 60 years the ministry has been his life, preaching the word of God in churches through out the state of Pennsylvania.

His 80th birthday was last June and he says that he has no plans to stop.Normanandannamaecrop2

"This has been my calling and if someone can show me somewhere in the Bible where it says preachers can stop preaching, then I will", Huff replied.

Huff never gets tired as he creates new sermons with three ideas in mind: hope, forgiveness and love.

He says love has been the main theme for his entire life. He has been married for almost 60 years to Anna Mae Huff. This June will hit their 59th wedding anniversary. The Huffs credit their long marriage to the true love they have for one another, which has grown stronger each day.

While being the love of his life, Anna Mae has also been a huge part of his ministry. She has been the piano player since the beginning, as her husband has made music an instrumental part to the ministry.

People who attend his services have songs that they look forward to hearing. "Ring the Bells" is a personal favorite of the reverend, which is a Christmas song touching on the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem.

A focus on family and music
 

Besides having love for each other, they have four children and seven grandchildren. Their children singing hymns for different congregations. In 1978, the Huffs and their children made a record of them performing hymns and other Christian music. Below you can hear the song "Oh How I Love Jesus" from the record.
 


In addition to his ministry, Rev. Huff is actively involved with the community of Tyrone; his home. He currently sits on the Tyrone School District school board; while being a member of the Kiwanis Club, the Lions club, the Monogram Club, and a volunteer at the soup kitchen once a week.

"It's important to give back as much as you can and that's what I've tried to do over the course of my life", Huff said.

In his free time away from church and community events, Rev. Huff has always had a passion for Penn State Football and Joe Paterno. He was a season ticket holder for decades as he watched many legendary Penn State football games in Beaver Stadium. He and Anna Mae even followed the football team to several bowl games. Their favorite ones being the National Championship game in 1987 when Penn State defeated Miami and the Rose Bowl Game in 1995 when PSU defeated Oregon to complete Joe Paterno's final undefeated season. He continues to root on Penn State as a season ticket holder for the Lady Lions basketball team.

Above all, Reverend Huff most enjoys spending time with his family. He's quick to say he's extremely proud of his children and grandchildren, and enjoys spending as much time as possible with them. He says enjoys his family's annual trip to the beach even though he doesn't enjoy the sand and the ocean.

The proposal: a look back

Norman and Anna Mae look back on the day that Norman proposed to Anna Mae. Anna Mae gave Norman a pair of socks so he had to return the favor.