Mr. John Hunter

John Hunter... His Life through the Eyes of Others: His life through the eyes of others, because he could never see how truly special he was to everyone who crossed paths with him; he could never have realized how much love flowed from him to those in his life; and how worthy he was of being an exemplary man of wisdom, integrity, strength, character. Born April 4, 1922, the third child of Rachel and Frank Hunter, John would not realize as a child growing up in Canton, Mississippi that he would leave such a profound gift of love and caring to those who knew him. John started out a young student at Fairview Public School in Madison, Mississippi, but as his adolescent life was beginning, he was forced to leave school before completion to help on his family's farm along with his brothers. Working on a daily basis with his brothers led to an extremely close bond between the "Hunter boys," a bond which would extend throughout their lives; each being the other's "best friend;” this attributed to his intense sense of "family" love and loyalty which he would emulate in the upbringing of his own family. In August 1943, John joined the United States Air Force as a Military Police and served honorably before being discharged on March 9,1946. He also earned his GED. After the war, he and his brother Stroke moved to Detroit, Michigan where through his sister-in-law Ella, John met Margaret Walls; they married on July 12, 1952. As their life as a couple flourished, God bestowed upon them the fruits of love, Glenn, John (Gay) and Patricia. The love he had for his children was undeniable; they filled his life with joy, and laughter. In 1961, John joined Annunciation Catholic Parish, but converted to the Baptist faith in May 1982 and, under the pastoral guidance of his late brother, he joined United Prayer Temple Baptist Church, formerly Undenominational Church of God. It was there that the spiritual knowledge imparted initially to him by his mother, matured and he was ordained as a deacon in 1987; he later became a trustee and chairman of the deacons, as his health began to fail he regrettably relinquished those duties. John held a number of jobs, sometime as many as three to support his family before being employed by the City of Detroit in the Public Lighting Commission in 1966. He remained with the City of Detroit until he retired in 1987; John, ever proud that in those 21 years, he never missed a day of work. His strong sense of work ethic was an example to his children, something that he was very proud of. He would always let people know, " ... all of my kids know how to work ... and all had jobs by the time they were about 12.” As a father, he devoted many years of his life working with "his boys" in The Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts as a Troop Leader. He was committed to making his sons become "good men.” John had a truly unique and special bond with Patricia which grew stronger through the years as they became each other's confidant,"... my dad" she would tell people jokingly, "knows me better than anyone and he loves me anyway.” John was a sincere, devoted friend; he was considered the "peacemaker" and the one everyone wanted to align themselves with, the one everyone went to for comfort and advice. Through the eyes of all who knew and loved him, we saw a man who loved the Lord first and foremost, a kind and tolerant husband to Margaret... John looked fearlessly towards his rendezvous with death and the here-after with his God. We will miss the way he would tilt his head to one side and press his lips together in reflection. We will miss the parables he would use to make a point. But, his memories will live on in our hearts forever.

Mr. John Hunter

April 4, 1922 - February 22, 2016