Rest in peace, Barry Huitema
Published: October 25, 2011
A sad day it was on the Zama American High School campus on Tuesday, when principal Candice Wojciechowsky sent word that Barry Huitema, a longtime DODDS educator and coach and Zama’s athletics director a year ago, died from complications of a massive heart attack suffered last Wednesday.
With his wife Erna, a Shirley B. Lanham Elementary School educator, at his side, Huitema passed away at 12:30 a.m. Tuesday at Ebina Hospital, near Camp Zama and Naval Air Facility Atsugi.
Huitema was a teacher at Yokota Middle School from 2000-04, left DODDS for a few years and returned to AFNORTH in August 2008. He then transferred to Zama in 2010-11. Huitema is also survived by a son and daughter.
I got to know Barry when he was the director of the 2004 Far East High School Wrestling Tournament, along with Yokota head coach Mark Hanssen and then-JV coach Brian Kitts. Barry was a smart, efficient and kind man, a big ol’ teddy bear of a guy.
He will be missed.
