Patricia Anne Franklin Huffman died peacefully, surrounded by family, on the morning of Saturday, May 30, 2026, at the Sarah Cannon Hospital in Nashville, Tennessee.
Born March 7, 1961, she was the daughter of the late John Earl Franklin and Doris Huffman Franklin. She was raised in Valdese, North Carolina, where she was an outstanding studentathlete, excelling as the point guard on several conference and district championship teams.
Tricia was a proud graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she earned a Bachelor in Business Administration and was a member of the Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority. She later earned a Master of Business Administration from Milligan University.
She moved to Johnson City, Tennessee, in 1986 with her husband where they raised their two sons. In 2015, she and her husband relocated to Franklin, Tennessee.
Numbers came easily to Tricia, who worked as a certified public accountant. Early in her career, she worked for several regional and national public accounting firms and later in the credit union, banking, and media industries. She went on to hold various executive positions in the healthcare sector during the final years of her career.
A blonde ray of sunshine, Tricia made friends everywhere she lived. She loved the outdoors and was an avid golfer, pickleball player, hiker, and skier. She especially enjoyed hiking in US National Parks and snow skiing throughout the western United States. Tricia traveled extensively throughout the country and visited Europe several times, as well as Australia and New Zealand last year.
She loved Americana music and attended music festivals around the country and in Mexico. She was an accomplished musician, playing numerous instruments with virtuosity. She continued to play the oboe into adulthood for community and religious organizations.
Tricia never met a cause she couldn’t get behind. Outgoing and forthright, she always wanted to help others and took every opportunity to do so. She was a past member of the Johnson City Rotary Club, served on the board of directors of the Hands On! Discovery Center (a family museum in Johnson City) and served tirelessly on numerous other church, charitable and community committees. She was a lifelong member of the United Methodist Church.
Tricia is survived by her husband, William J. Huffman, of Franklin; son Dr. William J. Huffman, Jr. and his partner, Rachel Schmidt, of Durham, North Carolina; son John Franklin Huffman, his wife, Abigail, and their son, Beau Franklin Huffman, of Johnson City, Tennessee; sister Nancy Daw and husband, Harvey, of Morganton, North Carolina; sister Susan Brinkley and husband, Tom, of Winston-Salem, North Carolina; and numerous nieces and nephews.
A memorial service will be held in Johnson City, Tennessee, with details to be announced at a later time.
The family asks those who wish to honor Tricia’s memory to donate to a local Habitat for Humanity organization or to the Sarah Cannon Research Institute located in Nashville, Tennessee.
Tricia lived a life full of love, accomplishment, adventure, and purpose. She will be remembered for her devotion to family, passion for helping others, strong work ethic, curiosity about the world, and deep appreciation for nature. Her family and friends will miss her dearly.
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