William S. Huff

William Steiner Huff 

On Thursday, January 21, 2021, William Steiner Huff died peacefully from complications of COVID-19 in Pittsburgh, PA. William, born June 8, 1927 in Pittsburgh to George Franklin and Elsa Steiner Huff, was a graduate of Peabody High School in East Liberty and served in the Navy during World War II. He completed his undergraduate and graduate coursework at Yale University and studied—and later taught—at the Ulm School of Design in Germany. William worked at the firm of renowned architect Louis I. Kahn in Philadelphia and served on the faculties of Carnegie-Mellon University in Pittsburgh and The University of Buffalo, The State University of New York. His lifelong passions were architecture and design; he considered Louis Kahn, Philip Johnson, and Tomás Maldonado to be among his most influential teachers.

William published widely, presented papers internationally, and gained world-wide esteem. His impeccable research and meticulous recordkeeping have safeguarded extensive genealogies of both the Steiner and Huff families. For forty years, he steadfastly researched and collected the works of Samuel Hester Crone (1858-1913), an artist of merit who married William’s great-aunt Sarah (Sadie) Voegtly Crone. William donated his collection of Crone’s watercolors, oil paintings, and sketches to the Art Museum of The University of Memphis. A man of unquenchable curiosity, William delighted in and was always eager for a conversation or a discussion and truly valued all thoughts and viewpoints. His friends and colleagues from around the world and his family will miss him greatly.

He is survived by his sister Elizabeth Huff Rodewald; nieces and nephews Frederick Huff (Leslie) of The Woodland, TX, Suzanne Huff Carreker (Larry) of Houston, Sarah Huff Day (Richard) of Whitney Point, NY, George F. Huff III (Sharon) of Houston, Ann Rodewald Steenkiste (Peter) of Pittsburgh, and John Steiner Rodewald (Jean) of Pittsburgh; and 12 grandnieces and grandnephews and their children. The family wishes to thank William’s doctors and nurses at UPMC Presbyterian Hospital for their attentive and kind care. No funeral is planned. Interment will take place at the Homewood Cemetery, Pittsburgh.

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