POULSBO — A celebration of life is scheduled for April 13, 2 p.m., at Northpoint Church for Thomas J. Huddleston, retired deputy chief of the Poulsbo Fire Department.

Huddleston died March 22 after a long illness. He was 69.

Huddleston was born in Ashland, Ky., on March 5, 1943 and grew up in Lexington. After graduating from Lafayette High School, he joined the Air Force and honorably served his country both stateside and with a tour in Vietnam.

At the age of 25, he joined the Las Vegas Fire Department. His experience included managing and leading the bomb search- and-disposal squad for all of Clark County, including Las Vegas.

In 1977, Huddleston was appointed Nevada state fire marshal. He helped write the first statewide fire and building codes, and wrote the draft bill for the Nevada Retrofit Law subsequent to the MGM and Hilton Hotel fires. In addition to his responsibilities as state fire marshal, Huddleston served on the Western Fire Chiefs Association Uniform Fire Code Committee as a member and chairman, providing testimony concerning fire prevention and the Uniform Fire Code process before U.S. Congress.

Huddleston served as fire marshal of Corona, Calif., from 1987-1993. He joined the Poulsbo Fire Department in 1994 as fire marshal and was promoted to deputy chief in 2005. He retired in 2010.

He is survived by his devoted wife, Wendy; son, Shawn Huddleston; and daughter, Jennifer Sommer (Megan and Madison).

Northpoint Church is located at 1779 NE Hostmark St., in Poulsbo.  An online memorial can be seen at www.poulsbomortuary.com. In lieu of flowers, donations preferred to the COPD Foundation, www.copdfoundation.org.

— Poulsbo Fire Department