Kenneth Poe Funeral Services

March 22, 2022

Charlotte — Jason Peter Huff, Jr., 16, took his life on Tuesday, March 22, after a long and courageous battle with mental health illness. Jason knew he was loved and adored on Earth but now rests peacefully with his Heavenly Father.

Jason was born to his generous and loving mother, Jane Elizabeth Davis Huff, and his adoring father, Jason Peter Huff, Sr., on October 28, 2005, in Mooresville, NC, although the family jokes he was born straight into the arms of his big sisters, Lauren and Ashley. His birth was perfectly timed, as he was first introduced to the community as Baby Jesus in the Christmas tableau at the family’s Davidson church.

As a baby, Jason loved his blanket, “Blankie,” his dogs, Jenkins and Hazel, and was a happy baby who smiled generously. Growing as a toddler and preschooler, he was anxious to please and help others. His smiles grew into wit as he matured and entertained those around him with a wonderful sense of humor. He had a gift for storytelling and was fun-loving and uninhibited. He loved playing games and making silly videos with his sisters, never leaving their side. He was an affectionate child who never grew out of showering his family with love and attention, especially his mother with whom he shared the same caring and sensitive disposition. He shared his father’s devotion to family and loved to spend time at home with everyone. Jason’s life was a beautiful combination of genius, compassion, and curiosity. Upon preschool graduation at age 4, he received the award for “Deep Thinker,” a category they created just for him and a trait that followed him through life..

From an early age, Jason was imaginative and intuitively knew how to construct, build, and create. During his elementary years at Woodlawn School and later Eastover Elementary School, Jason became a gifted Lego architect, spending hours with his dad sorting Legos into muffin tins to create spectacular Lego displays. Later as Jason attended Randolph Middle School and then Myers Park High School, his imagination manifested into his hobby of building high performance computers and custom keyboards, convinced that he could outperform what he called Apple’s built-in obsolescence in an effort to provide more affordable and accessible computers for all. His wisdom was sought after, and he taught his friends how to build their own faster and cheaper computers.

Jason was a jack-of-all-trades who dreamt of a career in engineering. He easily shifted from Legos to computers to cars as he worked long hours in the garage shop with his dad. On the weekends, Jason could be found at a Cars and Coffee gathering or in the garage modifying what became “Subie,” his pride and joy 2006 Subaru Impreza WRX STI, what some called the coolest car on campus, a creation of his own doing.

Equally as agile in other pursuits, Jason worked to challenge himself to achieve in nearly every aspect of his life. Jason was unafraid to try almost any activity, with his mother, father, and sisters on the sidelines as his biggest cheerleader. He enjoyed recreational sports but was more concerned about helping injured teammates than scoring goals while playing Charlotte Junior Soccer. He later discovered he was more suited to individual sports such as fencing, skateboarding, biking and rock climbing, often inviting his friends to learn from him on the high courses at InnerPeaks. He also found himself at home on the Catawba River with his friends on the Charlotte Youth Rowing team.

By early elementary school, Jason had mastered political discourse and was known to cite regulations to his attorney parents after exhaustively researching topics of interest. As Jason’s academic career took shape, he worked to understand how classical subjects like Latin and mythology intersected with modern day science and people through civics and debate. Religion was an important part of this journey, as Jason independently pursued Christian confirmation at Westminster Presbyterian Church in middle school. Following his confirmation in 2018, his faith grew fervently, and his curiosity compelled him to study other world religions in an effort to understand and honor other people’s beliefs.

Jason was a friend to everyone but was deliberate in surrounding himself with kind and inclusive people. Jason was a loyal friend as he held his friends and colleagues in high regard. Jason is described by his family and friends as kind, gentle, empathetic, and always concerned for others. Jason was a helper, the boy who took out his neighbor’s trash, completed chores without asking, and always inquired, “How was your day?” to those who needed it most.

Jason lived intentionally and wanted his peers to understand the impact of their actions on other humans in the world. He advocated for anyone who was independent and self-made, including many fashion designers, artists, and musicians, some of his favorites being Tame Impala and Tyler the Creator. At over 6 feet tall, Jason could be spotted on campus easily and was recognized wearing his skinny black jeans with colorful tops, stylish sneakers and often his favorite leather jacket that belonged to his father.

When Jason was not at school, he could be located near chocolate ice cream or otherwise in his happy place, the third floor “Man Cave” of his home, where he most enjoyed his car-racing simulator and debated and philosophized with his dad. Out of town, Jason particularly enjoyed special quality time with family at their homes in Nags Head and Winston-Salem and the family farm in Loudon County, VA. Many special vacations were spent on Kiawah Island, SC, and special summers spent at Camp Timberlake, an old-fashioned camp where Jason found brotherhood, bonfires, rocket launching, and God, all in the same place.

Jason will be remembered for his servant heart, the one who would bring you a glass of water before you were thirsty. He was a young man focused on others’ wellbeing yet faced internal struggles that he kept hidden from the world and that we will never know and understand. His memory is cherished by all who knew and loved him.

Jason loved his family dearly and is survived by his mother and father, Jane Elizabeth Hatch Davis Huff and Jason Peter Huff, Sr., his sisters Lauren Elizabeth Huff and Ashley Davis Huff of Charlotte. Jason adored his many family members, especially his grandparents Linwood Layfield Davis, Sr., and Martha Hannah Hatch Davis of Winston-Salem and Cathy Huff Bowman and Jim Bowman of Purcellville, VA. Also surviving are many aunts, uncles, and cousins: the Kane Family of Purcellville, VA, the Davis Family and the Greco Family of Winston-Salem, and his beloved extended family from coast to coast.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, March 26, 2022, at 1:00 p.m. at Myers Park United Methodist Church, 1501 Queens Rd., Charlotte, NC 28207. The Reverend Bill Roth will preside.  The service will be livestreamed at: https://boxcast.tv/view/a-service-in-loving-memory-of-jason-huff-jr-oepkpge2hayskujsgsyc for those unable to attend in person.  The family will receive friends at the church following the service.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorials be made to the Myers Park High School Foundation (note: Mental Health Support) at www.mphsfoundation.org or 338 S. Sharon Amity Rd, Box 228, Charlotte, NC 28211.

Arrangements are in the care of Kenneth W. Poe Funeral & Cremation Service, 1321 Berkeley Ave., Charlotte, NC; 28204 (704) 641-7606. Online condolences can be shared at www.kennethpoeservices.com.