For the gardeners in Duxbury this spring will be different.  The man you called on to turn your soil or mow your fields is no longer with us.  It’s sad to say that Norman Huff has passed on.  He was a man of pure common sense, a world traveler, a farmer and a Korean War vet.  He was a long time resident of Duxbury.  It was not uncommon to see him towing around a tractor, traveling through the back roads of Duxbury or Marshfield, eager to plow his customer’s gardens.  He also worked at the Marshfield Fair for over 25 years as a grounds keeper grooming the horse track back when they had horse racing.  For those who knew Norman, he was a person you could get attached to.  {sidebar id=1}

He told a story that, when he was a child, his grandfather had purchased a donkey through Sears & Roebuck. He sent two of his uncles to the train depot in Hingham to pick it up, and, on their return home, the donkey got spooked by the clopping noise from under its feet on the wooden bridge on the Route 53 overpass in Hanover, and they chased it for two days before capturing it.  He was very knowledgeable about farming and farm equipment.  He vacationed in Ireland, Spain, Tahiti, cruised to Alaska, and traveled to California many times to visit with relatives.  Norman also served in the Korean War. 

He was on the front line for 13 months, and after being shot at and hit, received an Honorable Discharge with a purple heart.  Norman was an honest man making an honest living; he retired a few years ago, but kept a handful of customers that still relied on him to turn their soil or mow their fields.  He was one of a few that kept his trade alive.  Norman left an impression on a lot of people; he will be missed, but not forgotten.  October 9, 2007.

–– By Steven Huff