Harriet Priscilla Huffman, a resident at The Summit Nursing Home, is celebrating her 104th birthday. She was born Sept. 24, 1913, in Lehighton, to Minard and Edna Miller. She was the second of four siblings.

For most of her youth, Harriet lived in the family home in the 100 block of Alum Street, an easy walk to the 1st Ward school, and later, to the Third Street High School (now the borough annex). Harriet graduated from Lehighton High School, worked at Wilmer Fashions as a seamstress before World War II, but felt the call to duty, along with her brother, Bill, and sister, Miriam, who all enlisted. During her years in the Navy Waves, she received training as a storekeeper. It was while based at Patuxent River Naval Air Station that she met Donald Huffman, a native of Earlville, New York, whom she married in May 1946.

After the war, Don and Harriet relocated to Bremerton, Washington, where Don was based, returning to Patuxent River in 1948.

In 1949, Harriet gave birth to their only child, Barbara. When Don received new orders that would take him on an extended assignment to the Mediterranean Sea, Harriet and Barbara moved back to Lehighton. This would become their home base, building their home on Coal Street, where Harriet would live for the next 62 years.

In the 1950s through the 1970s, both Don and Harriet became active in their community. Harriet served as PTA president in the early 1960s and also taught Sunday school at Trinity Lutheran Church, volunteered in the Trinity Pantry and with many other church activities. Both Harriet and Don were avid bowlers and were also active in the Republican party.

In her working life, Harriet was employed in the Carbon County Courthouse, and later as the secretary in the law practice of attorney Kerestes. Eventually, Harriet opened her own business as a title abstracter, freelancing for a number of area lawyers, which involved traveling to Lehigh, Northampton, Monroe and Schuylkill counties, and occasionally as far as Philadelphia to investigate and gather the needed data for property searches.

After retirement, Harriet dedicated all her time to Trinity Lutheran Church, where she was first baptized, confirmed and married. Up until the spring of 2016, Harriet continued to volunteer in the church office every Friday, collating the Sunday worship bulletins.