Mike and the orange bug versus the train. Sometime back, I would say mid 80s, Mike and I were driving from Livermore back to Pleasanton after a social gathering. I was driving the suburban, and Mike was in the orange bug. A brotherly wager was made to see who could get home first. This was before Valley Avenue went all the way through to Stanley. At this time, the extension of Valley Avenue had just started. There was barely a dirt road for construction vehicles, and nothing more. We were going down Stanley Boulevard and I was going to continue straight and cut through downtown to get home. Mike, in the orange bug, thought he could beat me home by cutting through the beginning stages of the Valley Avenue extension. I saw him make the right turn, and that was the last I saw of him. I got home and hit the rack. I don’t know how much later it was after I got home, but all of a sudden Mike is waking me up in a pretty panicked mode. I told Mike to quit his crying and that he was just upset because I beat him home. Mike was relentless about getting me up and telling me we have to go get the truck we have to go. So I get up, get the suburban, and Mike is grabbing a bunch of ropes and straps from the garage. We start driving, and he’s trying to explain to me how the bug got stuck on railroad tracks, and there was a train. I couldn’t make out much more than that. We turned onto Valley Avenue and proceeded past Quarry Lane, onto a dirt road, and finally to some railroad tracks. The orange bug is stuck, straddle over the tracks. The road was not raised up the tracks, it was just the track themselves, and they were at least a good 6 to 7 inches high. We tied the bug up to the suburban and gently pull it off the tracks. It was at this time Mike finally calmed down and told me what happened. While he was driving on the dirt road, he thought the bug would be able to make it over the tracks if he just gently rolled over the tracks. Well, the bug didn’t make it. It got stuck straddling the tracks. He tried for a while to get it off by rocking it and another means, but it didn’t work. While he was sitting there, trying to figure out what to do next, he heard a train whistle in the distance. This is when the panic set in. He could see a train coming towards him on the same tracks the bug was on. He started running down the tracks to see if there is any lever he can move to try and switch tracks so that the train wouldn’t hit a bug. There wasn’t anything there. There is nothing he could do. So he said he walked away about 50 yards, sat down and waited for the collision to occur. He said he had the best seat in the house. About 60 yards before the train hit the bug, it veered off to the right onto a different set of tracks. Volkswagen bug one, train zero. I told Mike, that was one of the luckiest things to ever happen. He blew it off, saying the train knew better than to mess with the bug.

Hi Michael, You Are Loved. Aunt Ree

Well Michael another year without your beautiful smile .  Still praying for your soul and all of our loved ones that are with you in heaven. Love, Aunt Ree

Hi Honey, I pray for your soul every night but today you have been on my mind since I woke up this morning. Know that you are loved, give the family big hugs and love from me. Always Aunt Ree

Michael loving you was so easy missing you is so so hard. Give my love to the family members who are sharing heaven with you. Love, Aunt Ree

Hi Michael, today would have been your 53rd. birthday. Miss saying Happy Birthday to you here on earth but I'm sure our family members who are with you are all celebrating. Grandma probably made caldito brown and spaghetti.
Please know that you are thought of every day in prayer and so so loved and miss your beautiful smile. Always Aunt Ree

Darn Michael the Rams beat the Patriots but our Raiders beat Miami in O/T.
Just want to say I love You

Andrew, I know he sees you and is very proud of you and Ryan.

I miss you daddy I wish you where still here to see what I have accomplished

Hi Michael, well here I am in a town called Bullhead City, AZ. never thought I would ever leave Victorville. Finally found where the church is at, I hope I can light candles there, I always lit candles for You, Uncle Tim, Grandma & Grandpa, Uncle Ralph, Aunt TeTe, Uncle's Bob and Ernie. Not a day goes by that I don't pray for all of your souls. Rest In Peace Michael and give my love to the rest of the family. Love You All

Dear Michael, another year since God called you into His loving arms and home in heaven. The memories and love I have for you endures.  Rest In Peace In God's Loving Arms. Amen

Dear Michael, you are prayed for and thought of every day, I Love You

This is no particular anniversary or special date that I can recall concerning my wonderful life with Mike. But I bet a jillion things happened between us on this day. I bet we threw a Frisbee at Rio Del Mar at each other on this day.I bet we played a gig on Haight Ashbury, (with Mark and JD )on this day. I bet we played softball on the same Pleasanton league on this day. I bet we climbed sandstone rocks at Mt Diablo on this same numbered day, I am sure we went to an A's game on many of these days, I bet we went to a concert on one of these days, I bet we fished together on one of these days. I bet we over ate burritos at La Imperials on one of these days. I bet we hung out at Ann and Bobs and had a great meal and watched sports on one of these days. My point being; My time with Mike was every one of these days, not just today. Mike comes to me out of the blue every day, always has, always will. Thanks Mike for letting me call you my best friend.

Hi Michael, haven't written to you since just before Grandma's birthday, since then Uncle Ralph, Aunt TeTe and Uncle Tim have had birthday's, hope you all celebrated together. I think about you everyday and always say a prayer for your soul. Love You, Aunt Ree

Hi Michael, Just want to say grief hurts. No one can replace a loved one who is gone. It is an emptiness that doesn't go away. Grandma's birthday is 4 days away, be sure to celebrate Her big day with you and the rest of the family members in heaven. Love and miss all of you every day. Aunt Ree
 

Hey Mike, I think of you every day. Just saying. I could go on and on, but you know. ..and we all know. Xoxo

Hi Honey, Well the Raiders didn't make it to the Super Bowl again this year, but like you I have hopes for next year, lol. Like you the silver and black will always be our favorite team. 
Think of you every day and with other family members I pray for your soul every day. Will always love you. Aunt Ree

Merry Christmas Mike, I think of you every day. I miss your companionship, caring, generosity, curiosity, intelligence, goofiness, laughter, tears, views, asides, hugs,punches, kisses on the cheek, opinions,strength,and ethos, but all of us will carry your SOUL with us until we unite again. My prayers go out to all who know and LOVE YOU! !!!!

This week has been my "thinking of You, Michael,"  So many wonderful memories. I Love You

Mike, I am reminded of you every day. I had a ream of notes for your Celebration of Life but I was taken aback by the situation and decided to wing it. It was very hard to hear people speak so I made it a point to dominate the microphone so that everyone could see and hear how eloquent I can be. ... I know you are laughing now at my delusions of grandeur. I am still in a fog as to what to say, but I know you understand that and that's why I love you. To everybody else, if you looked up best friend in a dictionary, you would see a definition and picture of Mike. Truly a Renaissance Man, yet never flaunted that (except to me, in order to elicit a laugh. I can always take a joke at my expense, and I can still see him throwing his head back in laughter when he threw a zinger at me, though it was never mean, it always had truth ). I am sorry I haven't contributed to this yet but trying to gather my emotions has been difficult. Rest assured, now that this bit of erosion of the dam I've built is starting to erode I will be posting more memories of that most precious man. With LOVE Gary.

Michael,  The memories that you made will last forever, Your kindness, Your smile, Your good heart will always be in the hearts of everyone that loved you. 

Michael,
Six months ago your beautiful mind, body, and sense of humor left our world. Your spirit, strength, and love remain as a reminder of how much you loved your family and life. I miss you and love you.

Mike is one of the most genuine and kind people I have had the pleasure of meeting. I was very lucky in my first year coaching baseball to be blessed with having the Hufford's on my team. Mike brought enthusiasm and love for the game of baseball but even more important had the patience and ability to teach children the same passion. For the short time I got to know Mike I consider myself to be lucky.

Mike Hufford, our most valued neighbor. In the four years we lived as your neighbor, I can see you were a genuine soul that lived life to the fullest. You were always so generous from a helping hand, to lending tools to offering a beer and a seat on the couch for a Raiders game. You were a protector of the neighborhood and didn’t hold back. I remember you shouting out at drivers speeding down our street. You yelled, “Slow down! We have kids playing here!” I also see you are a fun father when you made an appearance at your son’s birthday party as Darth Vader. 
You are a smart and a lucky man in choosing Susan as your wife and as the mother to your children. Susan has been SOLID GOLD through these years. She is a true inspiration to us all. When we see Susan at school or down the street, she always has a positive attitude and a loving smile on her face. It’s the face of reassurance and a reminder to the boys that everything is going to be all right. I have no doubt your boys are going to be successful individuals as they have learned firsthand from their sincere, soulful and fun loving father. The boys will continue to thrive because of the wonderful nurturing qualities from their mother. Mike Hufford, you will be missed but will never be forgotten and will always be loved.
~Vera & Chris

To Mike’s family, please accept my condolences in this time of sorrow. I pray that Almighty God, Father of mercies and God of all comfort, maintain you all in His care. I will continue to light a candle at Divine Liturgy and to pray for Mike - that his memory be eternal in God's Kingdom. Amin.
I offer you some memories of Mike…
In life you will have the opportunity to meet many people. Some briefly, some you will know all your life. Some of those people will leave a permanent and indelible mark on your journey through life. And, from those, there will be people who you look back upon your experiences with and say “Yes, I am glad to have known them”.
Mike Hufford is one of those people.
I worked with Mike for several years. It didn’t take long to know that he is one of those people who you are glad to meet in life. To say Mike loved life, his family, and had an incredible sense of humor is an understatement.
Thinking about Mike, what comes to mind professionally is a man who was very competent at his job, a leader. He was dedicated to his credit union, to his employees, and being himself. With Mike, there was no pretention, no façade. He was a good guy and always willing to lend a helping hand. He was someone I would call a “Good man in a storm” – cool headed and dependable.
To say Mike was a Raiders fan is another understatement. When someone walked into the IT area, it was hard to not notice the Raiders flag hanging there. As a Raiders fan myself, that was the spark for a personal connection.
For several years, Mike and I had an unofficial monthly meeting – nothing formal on the calendar. I would usually go to the IT area, sit down in his office and we would talk about IT Security, Risk, or Disaster Recovery topics. Invariably, we ended up talking about other things. Depending on the season it could be the A’s or the Raiders, sometimes about our kids/family, sometimes about the availability of Pliny the Elder, sometimes he’d fire up YouTube and we would watch the latest post of Epic Rap Battles of History. It always ended in laughter.
My favorite memory of Mike is also what I consider to be the best Raiders game I have attended.
Back in November 2014, Mike, Mike’s dad and Gordon Baker (former IT employee from the credit union currently living it up in Hawaii) had tickets to the Raiders-Chiefs game. Mike offered me the 4th ticket. Fans may remember this dark season as the Raiders were suffering from a 16-game losing streak going into this game with KC, who was heavily favored to win. Despite the heavy rain and cold, attendance and spirits were high that night at the Coliseum.
As we were huddled over a small pub table sipping pints of Guinness pre-game, I remember Mike saying that no matter what, the Raiders must win playing any team wearing red or orange. I marveled at the way he struck up a conversation with the table next to us with his easy going manner and infectious laugh.
The first half was promising with the Raiders leading the Chiefs 14 - 3.  The second half was tough with Oakland's defense mostly on its heels against a dominating KC offense. Mid-4th quarter, the Chiefs were in the lead 17 - 20.
Then began an epic 8-minute slug fest with the Raiders grinding down the field from their 20 to within the Chiefs red zone. Every successful play, every yard gained, was cause for jubilant celebration. We knew that this was it, the last chance for the Raiders to score. With less than 2 minutes on the clock, the 17-play drive ended with a Carr TD pass and Janikowski hammering in a point after that pushed the Raiders into the lead 24 - 20...and the crowd went wild!
With less than 90 seconds to go, the Raiders defense rose to the occasion (including a double sack on the Chief’s QB) and effectively shut down the Chief’s last drive…and the crowd went wild…again!
Through the roar of the crowd, the sound of cannon, the high 5’s, backslaps and bear hugs, I remember a father and son embracing in pure joy.
Best Raiders game ever.

I am so very saddened at the loss of my cousin Michael. My heart breaks for his wife Susan and boys, for my Aunt Annie and Uncle Bob, and for my cousins Guy and Cathy. I have been remembering Michael and each and every one of you in my daily thoughts and prayers since I learned the sad news of Michael's passing. I will continue to remember all of you in my daily prayers and especially during the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Your heartbroken nephew and cousin, Rev. Fr. Joe Baca ,aka. "Ralphie"

We are so saddened by the news of Mike's passing.
Shortly after we moved to California, the Hufford's welcomed us as family and have been our dear friends ever since.
We think of all the good times...the trips, games, the wedding, birthdays and holidays we have shared together.
Mike will always be remembered as a caring, fun-loving friend and a respectful gentleman to all he met. He is and will always be missed.

Mike was simply one of the best people I've ever known. So lucky to have him as a friend all these years. We shared so many fun times together. But more importantly, he was always there when I needed him. Truly someone I could count on for anything. I will never forget and will always miss him.

Hufford family,
I am so, so, sorry to hear about this loss and am deeply saddened. While there's nothing I can do to change what happened, I can continue to offer you my love and support and extending my most heartfelt condolences to you and your family. I have known Michael since he was about five years old and have had the pleasure of camping, fishing and attending outings with him and his family. He grew up with very loving parents and a fantastic brother and sister.  I know it may seem that he had a short life, he has done things we all want to do. He graduated from college, got married to a wonderful wife and had great kids and a very loving family.  He will be missed and never be forgotten and may his soul rest in peace.
A good heart has stopped beating, a kind soul ascended to heaven. God Bless Michal and God bless his family and friends. 
Love You All.

God bless you all and we send our prayers and love

Michael will never die He will live in our heart's forever.  Every step Michael took He left a memory/trail of energy, joy, kindness and love. God Bless His Soul.