Kathryn Ernestine Hunt

Kathryn Ernestine (Kay) Hunt, age 102, passed away peacefully at Lenoir Woods in Columbia, MO, on April 28, 2025, with family members gathered around her. She is survived by her children Wallace (Marilyn) Hunt of Matthews, NC; Douglas (Carolyn) Hunt of Columbia, MO; Barbara (David) Muntz of Austin, TX; and Tracey Hunt of Columbia, MO. Kathryn had 7 grandchildren, 12 great-grandchildren, and 7 great-great grandchildren.

Kay was born in Apache, Oklahoma., where her father, Ernest Gibbs, died when she was just 7 years old. Her mother, Ola Carr Gibbs, then faced the daunting task of raising five children in the era of the Dust Bowl and the Depression. While her mother worked to support the family, Kathryn took on much of the domestic work, pumping water from a well, for instance, and heating it atop a wood stove to do the family laundry. And so began a life of uncomplaining service and consideration of the needs of others, both within her family and beyond. Fresh out of high school, she worked as a clerk in a government office, and during World War II, she served as the secretary to the general in command of Tinker Field in Oklahoma City.

She met her future husband, Wallace Hunt, while both were children in Anadarko, OK. After he began his career as a civil engineer, they relocated often. She once compiled a list of 17 cities she had lived in during their married life, in states stretching from Oregon to Florida. After her husband's death, she moved to Columbia, MO, where she lived for 25 years, setting an example of patience, kindness, and good humor, in good times and in bad. She stayed active during those years, making new friends, joining bridge clubs and book clubs, and enjoying walks along the MKT trail.

Kay will be laid to rest beside her husband on May 5 at 10:30 a.m. at the Riverside Memorial Park in Tequesta, Fl.. The family will host a memorial service in the Epple Chapel, 3710 Lenoir Street, Columbia, MO, at 2:00 p.m. on June 1. Friends planning an expression of sympathy are asked to consider donating to Columbia's Turning Point day center or Loaves and Fishes soup kitchen.

Condolences and fond memories may be shared at www.memorialfuneralhomeandcemetery.com