Lige M Hundley

Lige was born March 11, 1955, in Provo, Utah, to William Giles Hundley and Vera Marrott Hundley. The middle of five children, he grew up in Orem, Utah. His childhood was modest and full of love. His father built much of the family’s furniture, and Lige and his brothers shared a three-tier bunk bed. He fondly remembered summer nights collecting earthworms with his younger brother Don to sell as fishing bait to their neighbors. A tree planted by his family when Lige was only a few weeks old still towers over the home where he was raised.

Lige graduated from Orem High School in 1973. He played football, worked at the local High Spot Drive-In, and served as president of Orem High’s A Cappella Choir, traveling with the choir to Washington, D.C., and New York.

Lige’s younger brother, Don A Hundley, was one of the most influential people in his life. Injured at birth, Don lived with lasting physical limitations, yet was brilliant, fiercely independent, and deeply admired by those who knew him. While Lige played football at Orem High, Don proudly served as the team’s manager. Don died in 1973 at the age of 16, following complications from surgery. Lige often said that losing his brother influenced his decision to serve a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a decision that changed the course of his life. He was called to serve in Japan. Years later, Lige named his oldest son Don in his brother’s honor.

Lige’s connection to Japan led him to the love of his life, Yachiyo Kubo. After Yachiyo came from Gunma Prefecture, Japan, to Provo to study English at BYU, she connected with Lige’s family in Orem. Lige’s parents welcomed her without hesitation, and the rest was history. They married on Lige’s birthday, March 11, 1977, and shared 49 years of marriage.

Lige enlisted in the United States Army, where he and Yachiyo began their family. Their daughter, Emilia Yuki, was born in San Antonio, Texas, while Lige was stationed there. They later welcomed their son, Don A, while stationed in Bad Tölz, Germany. After completing his military service, Lige used the GI Bill to attend Brigham Young University in Provo and earned a degree in Japanese.

From 1985 to 1988, the family lived in Machida, Tokyo, Japan, where their youngest son, William Gen, was born. They returned to the United States in 1988 and settled in Dublin, Ohio, where Lige and Yachiyo lived for more than 30 years before later moving to Hilliard and then Pickerington.

Lige spent the final 23 years of his career in sales with Yokowo, working closely with automotive customers. He was especially proud of his work and of his fluency in Japanese, which he used throughout his life to translate, interpret, build relationships, and bridge cultures. He retired on July 1, 2026.

Lige was charming, exceptionally intelligent, and remarkably good at remembering people’s names. He was a voracious reader who loved history, hard candies, Japanese food, and classic rock from the 1960s and 1970s. His children fondly remember family road trips when he would offer five dollars to anyone who could correctly name the artist playing on the radio. Generous and nonjudgmental, he taught his children that kindness mattered and that, even during difficult times, there were always others who had less.

Above all, Lige was proud of his family. He is survived by his wife of 49 years, Yachiyo Kubo Hundley; his daughter, Emilia Yuki Gibbons and her husband, David, of Gilbert, Arizona, and their children, Olivia and Grant; his son, Don A Hundley and his wife, Chihaya, of Tokyo, Japan, and his children, Leina and William Rik; and his son, William Gen Hundley and his wife, Tomoyo, of Powell, Ohio, and their children, Raiji and Miri.

He is also survived by his siblings, Billie Casper of Orem, Utah; Phil A Hundley and his wife, Carla, of Littlefield, Arizona; and Geri Mecham of Orem, Utah.

He was preceded in death by his parents, William Giles Hundley and Vera Marrott Hundley; his brother, Don A Hundley; and his brother-in-law, Dana Casper.

A Memorial Service will be held at Schoedinger Dublin, 5980 Perimeter Drive, Dublin, Ohio 43017, on October 3, 2026, from 10:00 am to 10:30 am.

Visitation will take place at Schoedinger Dublin, 5980 Perimeter Drive, Dublin, Ohio 43017, on October 3, 2026, from 10:30 am to 12:00 pm.

He will later be laid to rest with his family at Orem City Cemetery in Orem, Utah.

His family takes comfort in believing that Lige and his beloved brother, Don, are together again.