SR0985 102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0985 LRB102 27248 MST 38963 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to learn of the death of John "Chief AJ" Huffer of Tuscola, who passed away on March 30, 2022; and

WHEREAS, John Huffer was born in Peoria on December 25, 1937 in the Florence Crittenton Home for Unwed Mothers, the child of a Cherokee father and a Menominee mother; six months later, he was adopted by Charles and Dorothy Busey Huffer; he graduated from Urbana High School in 1955 and attended the University of Illinois for one semester before joining the U.S. Marine Corps; he was stationed in California and, during that time, he shot on the Barstow Base rifle team and became a body builder; after he was honorably discharged, he returned to the University of Illinois, where he was a member of the ROTC rifle team and was recruited to be a model for art students; he married Corinne Shreve on July 26, 1959; and

WHEREAS, John Huffer graduated from Bible college and was inspired to start a boys home, which brought him back to Tuscola; the boys home eventually changed to an assisted living home; then, with partners, he opened the We Care Nursing Home in Arcola as well as hotel restaurants in Arcola and Mattoon; he eventually joined the carpenters union in Champaign-Urbana; he later was a contractor and had dinner in the White House with Ronald Reagan as Minority Contractor of the Year; and

WHEREAS, John Huffer was a scrawny kid; he wanted to start weight training at an early age, but his parents made him learn all the muscles before they allowed him to get a dumbbell set; he eventually competed in Mr. America twice and numerous other body building competitions; he represented Tuscola in the Super Natural Physique Classic in 2001, where he won first-place in the Master 55 and over; and

WHEREAS, John Huffer shot a world record of 14,060 wood blocks without a miss over an eight-day period in March 1987; he subsequently landed on the cover of gun magazines, which launched his journey of fame in the gun world; he later developed the Chief AJ Slingbow, which has been sold all over the world; he appeared on a number of reality TV shows, including Top Shot, Man vs Machine, Monster Hunters, and History's Mysteries; and

WHEREAS, John Huffer had a great love for his family; he took his wife, Corinne, all over the country to gun shows and national parks; he spent time in Alaska for the birth of his grandchildren and graduations, and then he would be off on Alaskan hunting adventures; he was blessed to have his granddaughter, Tara, and her family stay with him for the last month of his life and developed a beautiful bond with his 7-month-old great-grandson, Noah; and

WHEREAS, John Huffer was committed to his faith and enjoyed preaching; at 80 years old, through DNA testing, he was blessed to be united with his biological brother, Theodore Yednock; and

WHEREAS, John Huffer was preceded in death by his wife of 62 years, Corinne; his father, Charles C. Huffer; his mother, Dorothy Busey Huffer; his sister, Mary Huffer Hickman; and his granddaughter, Stephanie Corinne Huffer; and

WHEREAS, John Huffer is survived by his son, Jason (Janice) Huffer; his daughter, Rebekah (Vince) Baldauf; his grandchildren, Benjamin Burton, Tara Huffer (Lawrence), CoWanda Joy Huffer, Dottie (Cody), and John Baldauf; and his great-grandsons, Bastian Skye Burton and Noah Lawrence Moshofsky Huffer; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of John "Chief AJ" Huffer, U.S. Marine, bodybuilder, preacher, exhibition shooter, and entrepreneur, and extend our sincere condolences to his family, friends, and all who knew and loved him; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the family of John Huffer as an expression of our deepest sympathy.