By Tony Farkas
[email protected]
TRINITY — Cheerleader. Fire chief. Deputy sheriff. Council member. Mayor. Friend. Mentor.
Wayne Huffman wore many hats in his 83 years on earth, all for the love of his adopted community — Trinity — and all to be of service to his community.
He passed away on May 6. On Thursday, the Trinity City Council held a special moment of silence to honor the man that has meant so much to so many.
Mayor Billy Goodin, who took over the reins of the Trinity City Council after defeating Huffman in an election, said he served with him on the council for 10 years, but has known the man since he was a child.
“I used to work at Westwood as activities director at Marina Village, and Wayne and Hayne worked security,” Goodin said. “One Halloween, I dressed up as them. They wore grey suits and hats when they worked, and I dressed like him.”
Goodin said Wayne, and even his twin brother Hayne, were pillars of the community.
“He set the standard for people who give their life in service to a community,” he said. “I don’t know of anybody that is going to get close to that.
“I learned a lot from him,” Goodin said. “There were times we didn’t agree, since we come from two totally different backgrounds, but I always admired his ability to stand up for what he believed, no matter what.”
Fire Chief Keith Johnson served with Wayne for more than 40 years, who retired at the beginning of this year after having served for more than 60 years.
Other hats Wayne wore included being a Deputy Sheriff for more than 60 years; a postal carrier for 43 years; director of the Trinity County Emergency Corps; police chief for four years; and more than 50 years of service on the Trinity City Council, ending his terms there as mayor.
“When I got on the department, there wasn’t a lot of equipment, but when Wayne left, we were well-stocked with equipment,” Johnson said. “He has been a leader since Day 1. Any time you needed something, he was there. We’ve been friends for a long time, but he was like a dad to me.”
Johnson said Wayne has done more for the community than anyone he can think of, including helping victims of fires out of his own pocket.
“We had a fire that when all was burnt down, the family had nothing,” Johnson said. “Wayne reached into his pocket and handed the family two $100 bills and told them not to worry about it. He did that more than once.”
Johnson said Wayne was an amazing man, one that has given 10 times more back to the community than anyone ever could.
Trinity County Commissioner Neal Smith said he has known Wayne all of his life — 64 years — and found him to be the most dedicated man to the city of Trinity that has every walked the streets.
“He wasn’t born here; he was born up on the prairie and came here as a teenager, and has been involved ever since,” Smith said.
Smith said he served with Wayne on the city council for about 20 years. Wayne became mayor in 1980, and again in 2020.
“The dedication to this town was unbelievable,” Smith said. “In 1980, when the Livingston Dam was built, and subdivisions began cropping up, people had no water source. Wayne went to TRA, they came up with a plan and signed a 40-year contract for water. He got criticized for it, but we always had plenty of water.
“In 2020, when the contract came up, and the other entities in the area did not want to go for it, Wayne bit the bullet and we still have got good water, all because of him,” Smith said. “He was loyal to this community.”
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