Jeniene (Johnson) Huff

 Jeniene Huff entered this world on July10, 1943, the first daughter born to William L. and Dorothy Cheatham Johnson. With the exception of a few months spent living in Arizona, where she discovered that she liked the high school’s Mexican food but not much else about the state, she spent her entire life in Harlan. She was not a cook, but that just left her time to be passionate about a number of other things, most notably music. She loved to perform, and as a young woman was named Miss Southeastern Kentucky after singing “Un Bel Di” from Puccini’s Madame Butterfly during the talent competition. Rumor has it that after later losing in the Miss Kentucky pageant, a judge informed her that she would have won had she performed a more contemporary song. Those who knew her know that even had she known this before the competition, she still would have performed “Un Bel Di” because that’s what she wanted to do. She had many other interests. She loved tennis, and bridge, traveled the world, and enjoyed the beach. Mostly, though, she loved being a mom. She spent the 1970s and 1980s carpooling and going to Little League games with her son, traveling with the Boys Choir and wrangling their wardrobe, and then when the nest emptied, she decided to do it all again and so, a month shy of her46thbirthday, she had a daughter. She then spent the 1990s and early 2000s with the Nutcracker and traveling with Harlan’s girls’ basketball team. Alas, when her daughter headed off to college, she decided against a third child and instead settled in to being a grandma. After giving cancer all it could handle these last six years, Jeniene left this world on Monday, October 30, 2023. She leaves to mourn her passing the love of her life, Archie, her 16-yearold shih tzu, who she made clear is #1;her husband of 57 years, Gayle G. Huff; her favorite son, Stacy (Viviana); her favorite daughter, Caroline (Brooks) Hogue; grandchildren Alex Huff, Nico Huff, Amme Kate Hogue, and Everett Hogue; nieces Brooke (Eddie) Burkhart, Elizabeth Ayers, Sarah (Justin) Howard, and nephew Seth Ayers; and her great-nephews and great-niece, William Howard, Charlotte Howard, and Finley Howard. She also leaves behind her “second son” Mark France, who has been such a help to her the last year; lifelong friends Traci Forester, Judy Kersey, and Linda Parsons, who have been such a comfort and who she hopes will think of her often and laugh when they do. In addition to her parents, her sister Billie Gail Ayers was there to greet her up on her arrival and we’re sure that heaven is very loud right now.

Funeral services will be Friday, November 3, 2023, at 1PM in the Chapel of Henson & Rich Funeral Home with Rev. Charles Morris officiating. Burial will follow at Resthaven Cemetery with family and friends serving as pallbearers.

The family will receive friends on Friday from 11AM until the funeral hour.

On behalf of the staff of the Henson & Rich Funeral Home we would like to offer our heartfelt sympathy to the family during their time of bereavement.

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