William Don Hunter

On September 2, William Don Hunter (Bill) left this mortal existence to be reunited with his sweetheart Gloria K. Hunter. We are happy for the reunion he is having with his family and our sweet mother. Bill was born Aug 18, 1931, in Los Angeles, CA, to John "Jack" Ammon Hunter and Lavina Reese Hunter, and was the youngest of three children. His sister Helen passed away from polio at the age of five, but he enjoyed being with his older brother Reese, especially later on in his life. During his youth, he learned to work hard delivering papers on a paper route. He earned enough money at the age of 14 to buy his first car, a 1934 Ford. He was also very proud of his sleek turquoise and white 55’ Chevy, a car he purchased in college. Several summers he rode the bus by himself from Los Angeles to Utah and Idaho and worked on his uncles’ farms. His mother was a concert pianist and encouraged Bill to practice. He became highly proficient at the piano, frequently being asked to play at events and social gatherings. He also loved all things mechanical, and his mother was very patient when he took things apart to try to fix them. In high school he competed in gymnastics, and often went to the southern California beaches, where he hung out with friends and swam in the ocean.

Right after graduation, Bill was drafted into the army during the Korean war. He served in Fort Bragg, North Carolina, as a paratrooper and also as a military policeman. After he was discharged, he attended college at BYU where he met “the most beautiful girl on campus,” Gloria D. Kershaw. When he saw her he vowed to marry her, and they met and dated. With her constant support, he served a Spanish speaking mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in south Texas.

On August 8th, 1959, Bill achieved his goal and married Gloria Kershaw in the Los Angeles temple. Gloria graduated from BYU and taught school, supporting Bill through the remainder of his Bachelor of Science degree in political science from BYU. After graduation, they moved to Southern California where they lived and worked for several years. Their oldest daughter Karen was born there. Then they moved to Holladay, Utah, where Julie, Jill and Kathy were born. The family later moved to Fillmore, Utah, and enjoyed living in that rural community.

Throughout his life he managed rentals and bought and sold properties while continuously inventing and implementing new and efficient ways to accomplish tasks. He invented a specific type of food dehydrator and manufactured and sold them, and a portable home workout system called the “Wondersizer.” He also served in his surrounding communities by grading properties, clearing snow, getting cars out of snowdrifts, chopping firewood, doing a lot of work for widows, serving in the Spanish branch in church and becoming a jack of all trades.

Bill loved to teach his daughters and grandchildren how to do gymnastic tricks, how to ride a bike, and how to drive both motorcycles and cars. He always owned a bicycle and a motorcycle. Even recently he was still riding his electric bike. He enjoyed driving any recreational vehicle and also giving his kids and grandkids rides. Summer weekends were often spent in the mountains. He took pleasure in four-wheeling and driving on mountain roads, traveling as far as he could go before he got stuck. Gloria and Bill and their kids spent a lot of time outdoors; camping, hiking, boating, visiting national parks, traveling the coastlines and following Lewis and Clark, the Mormon trail and other historic sites and locations. In the early 1960’s, he and Gloria drove across the United States in a modified camper-van he had created, and on another trip in later years they drove all the way to Alaska.

Bill has always had a great love for music, especially “boogie woogie” and jazz. He loved the views in nature, bought some beautiful property, and spent a lot of time on the “L”, a property he owned with hills and a creek running through it. Dad loved having pancakes on Saturday mornings and picnics in the evenings at a park or up the canyon.

Bill and Gloria were married for nearly 65 years. That legacy of love and commitment has left a powerful impact on their descendants and we feel peace knowing they are together again. William is survived by his daughters, Karen (Mark) Beeston, Julie (Jay) Day, Jill (Dean) Clark, Kathy (Brian) Bagwell, by 18 grandchildren and their spouses, Erin, Brad, Amy, Beth, Abby, Grace, Launa, Kenny, Blake, Andy, Tyler, Jeffrey, Riley, Kyle, Austin, Trevor, Mark, Ben and by 16 great-grandchildren.

Services for William will be held on Saturday, September 9, at 630 Riesling Ave, Santa Clara, Utah, with a viewing from 9:30 - 10:15 a.m. and a funeral service at 10:30 a.m., followed by a graveside ceremony at Tonaquint Cemetery.