Callaway County woman recognized for decades of service

Umbra Duffy, 92, began volunteering with 4-H with her late husband, Herbet, shortly after the couple's marriage in 1943

Umbra Duffy will be inducted into the Missouri 4-H Hall of Fame this week.
Umbra Duffy will be inducted into the Missouri 4-H Hall of Fame this week.

Umbra Duffy will be one of 54 Missourians who will be inducted into the Missouri 4-H Hall of Fame next week.

Duffy, 92, and her husband, Herbert, who passed away in 1994, will both be honored at the ceremony at 3 p.m. Aug. 13 at the Fred E. Davis Multipurpose Center on the State Fair Community College campus in Sedalia.

"I was totally surprised," she said of the honor. "It makes you go back and think of things."

Duffy said she had never experienced 4-H until she married.

"We got married in 1943. My husband had finished 4-H and was a 4-H leader," she said. "My neighbors were also 4-H leaders, so we went to meetings with them. That was my first experience."

Umbra Duffy was born Umbra Coolley in 1924 on a farm five miles northeast of Centralia. She attended Centralia High School, graduating in 1942, and married Herbert a year later. They had two sons, Ron and Don.

"Our oldest son, Ron, was nine when he went in as an associate member," she said. "I think he made a sawhorse. The next year, he started showing sheep."

She said Ron got the sheep bug from his dad.

"Herbert's uncle gave him four sheep when he was 14, and that's how he became a sheep farmer," she said.

The Duffys also grew grain crops on their farm, as well as soybeans and corn. When Don became old enough for 4-H, he also showed sheep and won showmanship classes.

Duffy said she continued their rural Callaway County farm even after her husband died.

"I said one time I was born a farmer's daughter, became a farmer's wife and now I guess I'm the farmer," she said. "I still live on the farm - it's rented out. I've lived in the same place since 1945."

In 1990, the Duffys were recognized by the Kingdom of Callaway Chamber of Commerce with the J.H. Atkinson Award for outstanding community service. In 2011, Umbra received a certificate for 65 years of service with the University of Missouri Extension Service - 30 years as a 4-H leader. In May, the Kingdom of Callaway County Historical Society congratulated Umbra for 70 years of service with the Callaway County Extension.

"When you look back, you don't think you did very much, but you got to work with young people," Duffy said of her time as a 4-H leader. "They needed leaders, so you just helped. You get interested in a lot of different things."

The Missouri 4-H Foundation annually recognizes the work of 4-H friends and volunteers through its recognition and awards program, said Rachel Augustine, associate director of development of University of Missouri Extension's 4-H Foundation.

"Individuals who have created exceptional legacies of service and dedication to 4-H are recognized and honored with membership in the Missouri 4-H Hall of Fame," Augustine said.