John Carl Huenefeld

John Carl Huenefeld, age 90, of Bedford, Mass. died quietly at Concord's CareOne long-term care on 14 June 2019. John was born in Memphis, Tennessee, on 25 September 1928, and grew up on the Huenefeld family's lowland farm in Gregory, Arkansas, the son of Arnold Huenefeld and Kittie Sanderson Huenefeld. In addition to his parents, he is predeceased by his brothers Arnold, Jr., Donald and Paul, and his sister Mary. A graduate of Augusta Arkansas' Laura Conner High School (1946) and Kansas State College (BS-1950), where he was a member of Sigma Nu fraternity, John subsequently earned his MS in history from the University of Arkansas, in 1954. He served as an infantryman in the U.S. Army (1950-2), and later as a master sergeant with military intelligence in the Army reserves. In 1951, John married Georgia Mills, of Augusta, Arkansas, and they raised four children: Carl Frederick II (Rick) of Carlsbad, Calif., Jan Huenefeld Anthony of Bedford, MA, Kurt Lofton of Shirley, Mass. and Charles Konrad (Buck) of Ramona, Calif. Together they have seven grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren. A word smith at heart, between 1948 and 1968 John worked as a sports writer, daily reporter and editor on small newspapers in Kansas and Arkansas, a freshman English instructor at the University of Arkansas, a newsletter editor with Cambridge Associates of Boston, a book publishing marketing manager with Beacon Press of Boston, and a political campaign manager in Massachusetts. In 1968, he founded The Huenefeld Company, Inc., management consultants to over 400 modest-sized book publishers, and through his lead role here, John was awarded the Publishers Marketing Association's Ben Franklin Award in 1987, for "distinguished contributions to entrepreneurial book publishing", and the Catholic Book Publishers Association's Distinguished Service Award in 2002, for his long-term work with 17 of their member publishers. John was the author of two books: The Community Activist's Handbook (1970), Beacon Press, and The Huenefeld Guide to Book Publishing (6 editions, 1974-2002), Mills & Sanderson Publishers. For over 25 years, he also authored the popular newsletter, "The Huenefeld Report" and numerous single-topic publishing monographs. Over the years, Mr. Huenefeld led countless popular publisher's marketing seminars for modest-sized publishers across the United States. Following cremation, Mr. Huenefeld's ashes were interred in the First Parish Memorial Garden, at First Parish Unitarian Universalist Church, in Bedford. A memorial service in Mr. Huenefeld's honor will be held, at a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the First Parish Church, 75 Great Road, Bedford, Mass. 01730, or a charity of your choice.