John R. Hunt

John R. Hunt, 93, long-time resident of West Springfield, MA, passed away in his sleep March 8, 2017. Born in Oskaloosa, IA, he spent his youth on a farm in Rose Hill before enlisting in the U.S. Marine Corps in 1941. After Pearl Harbor was attacked, he was sent to aircraft mechanic school in Chicago in 1942. Later that year he was deployed to Guadalcanal and then Espiritu Santo in the South Pacific where he served under various commanding officers including Gregory “Pappy” Boyington and Joe Foss.
Following WWII he worked for New England Telephone & Telegraph Co. in Pittsfield; Greenfield; Springfield; Northampton and Brattleboro, VT until he retired in the late 70s to begin working as a contract engineer for the next several years. He made many friends and acquaintances throughout his work experience and cherished those relationships.
He was a member of the Pioneer Valley and Ludlow Sportsman’s Clubs. As an avid hunter and fisherman, he traveled throughout New England, Iowa, Wyoming and Canada.
His wife Carol(Jones) and son Andrew predeceased him; he leaves a daughter Leslie and son Robbie.
A private service will be conducted at Massachusetts Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Agawam. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to a Veterans Organization of choice.