The funeral will be held at Orangeburg Baptist Tabernacle, 3440 North Road, Orangeburg, SC, on Friday, Sept. 13th at 10:00 AM with Pastor Tom Brookshire and Pastor Blake Hunter officiating. A graveside service and interment will be held at 2:00 pm, at Fort Jackson National Cemetery in Columbia, SC.
Pallbearers will be his grandsons: Andrew, Stephen, Josh, Shane, Brett and Blake Hunter, and Daniel and John Mark Bratton.
Rev. Hunter was born on April 6, 1930 in Hastings, NE, the son of the late Ellsworth and Marian Hunter.
He was preceded in death by his loving wife of nearly 60 years, Esther Lee Hunter. Survivors include his sister, Lois Hageman of Denver, CO, his four children; Dianna Carol Hensley of Gray, TN, Karen Lee Wilson, of Ft. Lauderdale, FL, Stephen Mark Hunter of Madison Heights, VA and Timothy James Hunter of Malibu, CA; sixteen grandchildren, Daniel Bratton and John Mark Bratton of Gray, TN; Jeff Wilson and Kenneth Wilson of Coral Springs, FL, Shane Hunter and his wife, Jelena, of Madison Heights, VA, Brett Hunter and his wife, Carol Ann, of Kansas City, MO, Blake Hunter, and his wife, Megan of Capetown, South Africa, Lindsey Hunter Stober and her husband, Ryan, of Springfield, MO, Andrew Hunter, and his wife, Tiffany, of Margate, FL, Stephen Hunter, and his wife, Jessica, of Fort Lauderdale, FL, Joshua Hunter of Charleston, SC, Ryan Hunter of Las Vegas, NV, Michael Hunter of Jacksonville, FL, David Hunter of Charleston, SC, Krystalynne Hunter of Charlottesville, VA and Karalynne Hunter of Jacksonville, FL, and Great Grandchildren, Eric and Bethany Bratton of Gray, TN, Zander, Kloey and and Lila Hunter of Madison Heights, VA, Easton and Reese Hunter of Kansas City, MO, Kynlee and Desmond Hunter of Capetown, South Africa and Kaylee Hunter of Margate, FL, and several nieces and nephews in Colorado and Texas.
Rev. Hunter married Esther Lee Fridley, from Kaufman, TX in 1951 while stationed in Corpus Christi, TX, during his four years service in the U.S. Navy. He was converted from Atheism to Christ shortly thereafter and within a year began his ministerial education at Oklahoma Baptist University, in Shawnee, OK. While in college he served as pastor in local churches. He started Immanuel Baptist Church in Norman, OK in the late 1950s. Subsequently he served as senior pastor at Collinsville Baptist Church in Collinsville OK, Miller Road Baptist Church, in Garland, TX, Hialeah Baptist Temple, in Hialeah, FL, and Orangeburg Baptist Tabernacle, Orangeburg, SC. In addition to his pastorates he was a traveling evangelist during his 65+ years in ministry, holding over 400 revival meetings and Bible conferences nationwide. He conducted four teaching trips to Israel and served on the faculty at Pillsbury Baptist Bible College in Owatonna, MN. He was the president of Peace for Israel, a gospel outreach ministry in Hollywood, FL, for several years. He was awarded an honorary doctorate from Tabernacle Baptist College, in Greenville, SC. His preaching and prophecy conferences were attended by many thousands of people over fifty years.
In addition to his calling, he had many hobbies, the most obvious was his love for fishing. He mounted more than one ‘trophy’ catch and won a citation by the state of South Carolina for a 12-lb. largemouth bass as well. He was a “camera bug” and astronomy buff. He was also particularly proud of the fact that he served simultaneously on the highly-decorated war ship, U.S.S. Essex, during the Korean War as future astronaut Neil Armstrong did while a pilot in the Navy. Bud repaired the radar on the fighter planes and felt a strong kinship with the Apollo astronaut because of this “brother-in-arms” bond. He had an avid thirst for knowledge which permeated every facet of his life. He was loved by many pastors and friends in the ministry from California to New York and Florida and many states in between.
The family will receive friends and guests at Orangeburg Baptist Tabernacle, 3440 North Road, Orangeburg, SC on Thursday, September 12th from 6 pm to 8 pm.
Memorials may be made to Orangeburg Baptist Tabernacle Missions Program, 3440 North Road, Orangeburg, SC 29115.
