John Ward Huff, Lt. Col., USA, Ret. (1939 – 2025)

John Ward Huff, Lt. Col., USA, Ret., 85, of Front Royal, Virginia, passed away on Saturday, September 20, 2025, at his home.

John Ward Huff, Lt. Col., USA, Ret.

A memorial service will be held on Thursday, September 25, 2025, at 11 a.m. at Front Royal Presbyterian Church, 115 Luray Avenue, Front Royal, with Rev. Jaci Smith Patman officiating.

Mr. Huff was born on October 30, 1939, at home in the small limestone community of Blairton, West Virginia. He attended a two-room school until the fifth grade and eventually attended Hooge Street, John Street, and Burke Street elementary schools. He attended and graduated from Martinsburg High School in 1957, then joined the United States Air Force, where he served until his discharge in 1966.

During his tour of duty at Charleston Air Force Base, he met and married the love of his life, Judith Garrison. They married in October of 1961 at Charleston Air Force Base and soon were transferred to Evreux Air Force Base in France, where they spent the next three years touring Europe.

John graduated from Shepherd College in 1970 with a B.S. in biology and a minor in psychology. He attended graduate school at the University of Pennsylvania, graduating in 1971 with a Master’s degree in Physical Therapy, and went on to open the first Physical Therapy department at Warren Memorial Hospital.

In 1975, John and his family moved to Lumberton, North Carolina, where he served as Chief Physical Therapist at Southeastern General Hospital before returning to Warren Memorial Hospital as Chief of Physical Therapy.  He went on to open a private practice in 1982, where he served residents from across the Shenandoah Valley until his retirement in 1999. He then worked part-time with Continuing Care Home Health Services before permanently retiring in 2012.  John continued his military career through the United States Army Reserves, where he served with the 2290^th United States Army Hospital at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, completing 29 years of military service and attaining the rank of Lt. Col.

Known for his kindness and sense of humor, John could find the funny in anything and shared his catalogue of jokes with everyone from his mother and sister to the stranger in line at the grocery store. John’s favorite pastimes included golf, fishing, camping, and hunting ginseng.

Survivors include his two sons, James David Huff and Ward Andrew Huff; daughter-in-law Kristy Huff, granddaughter Lauren Vice, two grandsons, Fletcher Ernest Huff and Cormac Ward Huff; sister Judy Shook, and countless patients, friends, and acquaintances.