THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | MAY-JUNE 2026 95 He is widely considered an authority on Cambodian language and linguistics and donated his entire Cambodian-language collection to the Buddhist Institute in Phnom Penh in 2004. In retirement, he published two books of general interest: Monks and Motorcycles: From Laos to London by the Seat of My Pants, 1956-58 (iUniverse, 2004) and Your Diplomats at Work: A Comedy in Seven Acts (Memoirs and Occasional Papers Series of the Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training, 2010). Mr. Huffman was awarded the Distinguished Alumnus Award from his alma mater, Bridgewater College, in 2007. His post-retirement volunteer activities included teaching English to Hispanic immigrants and driving elderly people to medical and other appointments for local community organizations. Throughout his life, Mr. Huffman had a strong interest in music. He played the piano and trumpet. In college, he performed as a soloist and toured the Soviet Union in 1960 with the Cornell Men’s Glee Club. In retirement, he sang with the Washington Men’s Barbershop Chorus. He also enjoyed bridge and tennis until the age of 90. Mr. Huffman had a passion for road travel. In addition to the trip from Laos to London by land in 1958, he drove his family from New Haven, Conn., to Guatemala City in 1970, and he drove with his brother Bill in a pickup truck from Washington, D.C., to Costa Rica in 2004. Over the course of his academic and Foreign Service careers, he traveled and worked in more than 120 countries. Mr. Huffman is survived by his wife of 51 years, Sanda (née Iliescu) Huffman, whom he met at Cornell in 1972 while she was studying for her doctorate in Romance linguistics, and who accompanied and supported him throughout their life together while pursuing her career as a conference interpreter. His first marriage, to Marcia Russell, ended in divorce. He is survived by his brothers, Robert of Harrisonburg, Va., Donald of Lakeland, Fla., and William of Hillsboro, W.Va. He was predeceased by his half-brother, Glenn, in 2021. Mr. Huffman is also survived by his children, Russell of Chapel Hill, N.C., David of San Francisco, Calif., Christopher of Brooklyn, N.Y., and Samantha of Washington, D.C.; and grandchildren, Maxwell, Spencer, Riley, and Mila. n Carolyn Susan Jacobs, 61, a retired Foreign Service specialist, passed away in her sleep at home in Arlington, Va., during the night of February 10, 2026, of heart failure. Ms. Jacobs was born in 1964 in South Pasadena, Calif., to Vera Jacobs, a teacher of immigrant and multicultural children, and Don Jacobs, a corporate executive. Her mother instilled in her a strong desire for social justice, and her father imparted the knack for nurturing relationships and a love of travel. From South Pasadena, Ms. Jacobs set off for Long Beach State University, completing a master’s degree in 19thcentury British literature in 1992. During college, she worked with the school’s equal opportunity programs, where she could pursue her passions: promoting diversity and reading. Her first overseas experience was a one-year stint in Colombia working with Colombian exchange students to prepare them in the English language and American culture. In 1998 Ms. Jacobs joined the Peace Corps and was assigned as a volunteer university English teacher in Bishkek. She visited nearly every corner of Kyrgyzstan and is still considered a beloved teacher and friend by the successful, strong Kyrgyz young women whom she taught at Arabaev University there. The close friends she made during her Peace Corps years continued to explore with Ms. Jacobs for the rest of her days, grateful to be able to take part in her joie de vivre and openness in approaching the world. In 2002 Ms. Jacobs joined the State Department, serving her country as a Foreign Service specialist for the next 23 years. She began her career as an office management specialist and later converted to a human resources specialist. Ms. Jacobs’ overseas postings included Tunisia, Zimbabwe, Bahrain, the Philippines, Zambia, and Senegal, where she worked with and befriended American and foreign nationals alike. In Washington, D.C., she served at the Foreign Service Institute, teaching human resources tradecraft, and in other assignments. Throughout her years as a human resources professional, Ms. Jacobs helped many employees through policies and professional and personal situations in the workplace to find peace of mind, justice, and success. Friends around the world remember Ms. Jacobs’ love of laughter, her love of reliving the good times and reflecting on memories, and how she lived life in the best way she knew, putting effort into every relationship. Ms. Jacobs is survived by her brother, Mark Jacobs of Alameda, Calif., and a nephew, Max Jacobs, as well as her godmother, Sharon Robison of Santa Rosa, Calif., and beloved Senegalese Laobé street dog, Christy. Reflecting her love of people, human resources work, and social justice, Ms. Jacobs specified that much of her estate go to the Department of State’s Foreign Service National Relief Fund, a program
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