Henry A. “Hank” Huber

Henry A. Huber, “Hank”, 93, of East Lansing, passed away Tuesday, March 8, 2022. A Memorial Service will be held at 4:00 pm, Friday April 1, 2022, at University Reformed Church, 841 Timberlane St., East Lansing, Michigan. In lieu of flowers, memorials can be made to REACH Studio Art Center, a Lansing non-profit founded and directed by daughter Alice Brinkman, or to the Parkinson’s Foundation.

Henry A. Huber was born as the only child to Ethel Elizabeth Huber (Sleeth) and Henry Albert Huber on February 4, 1929, in Moline, Illinois.  He was preceded in death by his wife, June Esther Huber (Moore).  He is survived by his son and daughter and their spouses, David G. and Stephenie (Loughran) Huber and Alice J. (Huber) and Gary Brinkman; five grandchildren, Brian Brinkman, Joshua Brinkman, Scott Huber, Heather Huber, and Grant Huber, and 10 great-grandchildren.

Hank grew up in Clarkston, Michigan, on a “hobby” farm, which significantly influenced his career in Forest Products and his love for the out-of-doors.  He was a quick learner and excelled in school, becoming the “Valedictorian” of Clarkston High-school in 1946.  He was also an Eagle Scout, Junior Assistant Scout Master and the business manager of the high school yearbook.

Hank attended the University of Michigan in 1946 – 1951, where he received his Bachelor of Science in Wood Technology. He was a member of the U of M ROTC and after graduating, enrolled in the Navy.  Hank served from June 1951 to May 1954 as an Ensign aboard the U.S.S. Frank Knox (DDR 742) stationed out of San Diego California.  During his service in the Navy, he was deployed to Korea three times during the Korean War.

Hank married the love-of-his-life, June Esther Moore, December 26,1953, while still serving in the Navy.  He received his honorable discharge from the Navy in May of 1954 and he and June moved back to Ann Arbor, Michigan, to be near family and continue his education.

Hank received his Masters of Science in Wood Technology in 1955 from the University of Michigan.  Upon graduating he went to work for Dow Chemical in Midland, Michigan, serving in their wood products lab.

While in Midland, Hank and June gave birth to their two children, David George in 1956 and Alice June in 1958.  Shortly thereafter, he took a position with Bruce Hardwood Flooring Company and moved to Memphis, Tennessee.  Memphis became their home for a couple years until they returned to Michigan and Hank completed his Ph.D. in Wood Technology at the University of Michigan in 1968.

The bulk of Hank’s career was spent working as an Extension Professor at Michigan State University in the Forest Products / Forestry Departments.  As a part of his extension/research position at MSU, Hank worked to help sawmills improve their efficiency and was instrumental in developing a patented laser system to maximize the amount of usable lumber per cut.

Hank and June raised their family in their East Lansing home where they lived from 1965-1978. Their back yard butted up to a golf course, but Hank had absolutely no interest in playing golf.  Instead, the rolling hills and a pond on the golf course provided a great winter playground, where Hank encouraged and taught his children to ski, ice skate, and toboggan. Ironically, after moving from this home on the golf course, and retiring, Hank took up golf and couldn’t get enough of it.

Hank retired in the mid 1980’s and spent most of his time on 32 acres of land in Dewitt, MI, running a small Christmas tree farm and teaching his grandkids hard work and bluegill fishing. In the winters, he and June would travel down to the Arizona sunshine and stay at their condo in Green Valley. Hank and June loved spending summers at the A-frame lake home Hank built in 1963 or traveling all over the world.

He will be remembered most by his family as an amateur historian and “story-teller”.  He had a remarkable ability to recall minute details, whether sitting in his “Lanai” on the deck of his Lake Michigan A-frame “chalet” near Ludington, Michigan, or driving with his son, son-in-law, and grandsons to goose hunt in the Upper Peninsula. Hank had story after story to share with family and friends. Hank would often strike up conversations with complete strangers during their travels, who then became best of friends.

He and June were deeply committed to welcoming international students from Michigan State University to their home in DeWitt.  They were charter members at University Reformed Church in East Lansing and Hank’s generosity flowed freely to both his church family and his biological one. Hank and June were models of hospitality as they warmly welcomed many college students to their home and hosted many meals.

Hank’s legacy will live on in the opportunities and doors he has opened up for his children and grandchildren, because of his faith in Christ, his love of the outdoors, and his commitment to church and family.