Dwayne Melvin Huddleston

Dwayne Melvin Huddleston was born on April 11, 1938, in Nampa, Idaho, the third and youngest child of Dewey and Elsie Huddleston. He passed away on Dec. 10, in Seaside, at the age of 85, due to complications from a severe stroke.

His parents, along with their three children Dores, Arnie and Dwayne, eventually settled in Hermiston, where Dewey worked as a carpenter on the many public works projects that were going on in the area at the time.

Dwayne spent all of his school years growing up in Hermiston. It probably wasn’t an idyllic childhood, but the love of Eastern Oregon and in particular, Hermiston and his classmates, never left him. He graduated from Hermiston High School in 1956.

He had lots of influences growing up, but two really stood out. He was forever grateful to the Shockman family, who took him in and treated him as their own, and of which he considered himself a member. His love and admiration for Jim Ward, his high school teacher and baseball coach, would be the blueprint for him becoming an educator and, above all else, a coach.

College was a series of fits and starts before finally buckling down and getting a teaching degree from Central Washington University in 1962. It was while working in the cafeteria at Central Washington that he met Marjorie Hansen from Gig Harbor, Washington. They were married in 1961, and spent 62 years by each other’s side. In 1962, their oldest child, Wendi, was born, followed 11 months later by her “Irish twin,” Eric (Pete).

Following a few temporary assignments, the Huddlestons settled in Umatilla, where now “Coach Hud” taught math and was the head coach of the baseball team. A meager teaching salary was offset by refereeing basketball in the winter, and delivering world famous Hermiston watermelons throughout the Northwest in the summer.

While Hud loved Eastern Oregon, Mrs. Hud did not share the same sentiments and, in 1970, after six years in Umatilla, the family moved to Warrenton on the Oregon Coast. Hud picked up right where he left off, teaching and being the head ball coach. He would eventually add the title of athletic director to his resume.

The baseball program had been defunct, so Hud had to start from scratch. With the help of parents and the National Guard, Hud even built a new field at the high school. That field bears his name today. After one losing season, Coach Hud never had another, retiring from coaching in 1984.

Keeping with the Shockman doctrine, that all were welcome and there was always room at the table for one more, Hud and Marge cultivated deep personal relationships with his students, players and coaches that would endure until the day he passed.

In 2000, he was inducted into the Oregon High School Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame. In 2013, he was inducted into the Oregon Athletic Directors Association Hall of Fame.

Hud retired from teaching for good in 1994. Marge, also a teacher, would retire four years later. The two were able to take many trips together, most notably their bike and barge trips throughout Europe, and the couple of weeks every summer they would spend with dear friends, the Fosters and Smiths, in central Oregon.

Hud also served as commissioner of the North Coast Basketball Officials Association, a position he would hold until his memory problems made the job too difficult. This allowed him to stay current with the local sports scene well into retirement. He loved nothing more than being in a gym or at a ball field, catching a high school game and chatting up whoever happened to be standing next to him.

Even though the ravages of dementia took away most of Hud’s cognitive abilities, his body was remarkably healthy up until his stroke four days before he died, a fact that can be attested to by his ability to disappear in the blink of an eye.

The family would like to thank all the community members who called, gave him rides and watched out for him, ensuring that he was safe on his walkabouts. A special thanks to the McBrides and Dyers for always being there for him, and Marge.

Hud is preceded in death his parents; sister, Dores; and brother, Arnie. He is survived by his wife, Marge; daughter, Wendi; son and daughter-in-law, Pete and Lisa; grandchildren, Abbie, Heather, Joseph, Andrew and Anna; and great-grandchildren, Oswald and Emerson. The family would be remiss if we didn’t mention he is survived by his two best childhood friends, Butch Shockman and Jess Foster.

Hud paid forward the kindness and generosity that was given to him throughout his life. In lieu of any donations, the family requests that Hud’s generosity be paid forward in kind.

A celebration of Hud will be held on March 9 at the Warrenton High School gym. The time is yet to be determined.