Mabel Frances (Watson) Hunter

On January 4, 2022, Mabel Watson Hunter, cherished wife, mother and grandmother, passed away of natural causes at her home. Mabel was born in Pinnacle, North Carolina, in 1934 to Ernest G. and Mamie D. Watson. Both her father, a tobacco farmer who passed away when she was six years old, and her mother, a nurse, provided Mabel with humble beginnings. Mamie was often away providing 24-hour nursing, which frequently left young Mabel in the care of her brother Bill, who was only a couple of years older, or in some cases alone. The colorful oral history of the exploits of Mabel and Bill are legendary. They involved firearms, stolen cars, and assorted runaway convicts, the stuff of family folklore.

Mabel attended Pinnacle High School and then Women's College, now UNC Greensboro. Tuition was paid by the sale of tobacco. Mabel told stories of how she stood by bales of tobacco as the auctioneer explained to buyers that the proceeds would send Mabel to college. She worked various jobs as a young woman, once as a drug store "Soda Jerk," and once for Ma Bell as a switchboard operator in Pilot Mountain when she was 14. While in high school she met, and later married, Reese Hunter who passed away in 1997. They began their married life in Raleigh, then moved to Canton, New York, where Reese taught returning service men at a university. Their first child, daughter Dee Ann, was born there. Later, they returned to North Carolina where son Allen was born in Winston-Salem and later, two more children, Mary and Tyler, were born in Greensboro.

Mabel was instrumental in the founding of Industrial Air Incorporated in 1964. Today, one son, one son-in-law and one grandson, are employed in the 58-year-old business. Mabel was an accomplished pianist, which likely comes as a surprise for many, as she refused to ever play for an audience. She was a devoted Christian who taught children in Sunday school from when she was a teenager into adulthood. Although she traveled extensively in the US and Europe, she always maintained that traveling in the Holy Land of Israel was her trip of a lifetime. Mabel was an active member of Sedgefield Woman's Club, a chapter of the General Federation of Women's Clubs, and over time was presented with every award the club bestows, including Honorary Lifetime Membership. Always physically active, Mabel was an outstanding tennis player and kept fit working with a private trainer several times a week and participating in spin classes into her 80's. Demure and petite, Mabel was nevertheless a powerhouse of energy and strength.

She will be sorely missed by her children: Dee Ann Kiser (Terry), Allen Hunter (Celia), Mary Hunter, and Tyler Hunter (Marcia); her grandchildren, Shannon Kiser, Lee Kiser (Ashley), Ryan Sharpe (Rebecca), Jessica Hunter, Haley Minnish, Alexandria Hunter; and her six great-grandchildren.

A memorial service celebrating her life will be held at 11:30 am at Christ United Methodist Church, in Greensboro, on Tuesday, January 11, 2022. Mabel will be laid to rest next to her husband in Guilford Memorial Park Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to Operation Smile and Brenner's Children's Hospital. Online condolences may be made at www.haneslineberryfhsedgefield.com.