Hunter E. Swink

He was born in Richmond, Virginia, in 1932 to Hunter and Arline Swink and was raised in Waynesboro, Virginia in the beautiful Shenandoah Valley. Throughout his childhood, he enjoyed camping and outdoor adventure and earned the rank of Eagle Scout, the highest achievement in scouting. In 1950, Hunter graduated from Waynesboro High School, where he played football and ran track, and then went to Virginia Tech on a football scholarship where he was a starting center for the Hokies. He graduated in 1954 with a degree in civil engineering and then served in the United States Army, putting his engineering degree to use constructing airfields in California and Alaska.

Hunter completed his military service as a Lieutenant and then briefly owned a road paving business before beginning a nearly 30-year career at DuPont as an engineer. DuPont took him to posts in Nashville, Richmond, Wilmington, and finally Chattanooga, where he was head of engineering for the company’s largest plant. After retiring from DuPont, he began a highly successful real estate career and was honored as Chattanooga’s Realtor of the Year in 1999. He maintained his real estate license into his early eighties and was known as a wonderfully supportive and trustworthy broker.

A lifelong Presbyterian, Hunter was a faithful elder and member of Wayside Presbyterian Church for more than 50 years and chaired the church’s World Missions Conference. He also served the community on the boards of Bethel Bible Village and the Chattanooga Area Realtors Fair Housing Committee, among others.

Hunter led his life grounded in gratitude and faith. He was steadfastly kind, helpful, fair, and generous — a benevolent listener who offered wise counsel to the many who sought his guidance.

Above all, Hunter loved his family and the Lord. He is remembered by his family as a loving and generous father and grandfather, a devoted caregiver for his late wife, Diane through her illness, and a most-cherished companion for his wife, Shirley, with whom he enjoyed many travel adventures in their retirement years. His quiet strength, wisdom, kindness, and humor will be deeply missed.

He is survived by his wife, Shirley Ann Swink; his children, Steve (Sheila) Swink, Tom (Megan) Swink, Katherine (Mary) Swink, Greg (Deanna) Mirhej, and Andrew (Lisa) Mirhej; his grandchildren, Drew (Sasha) Swink, Thomas (Nat) Swink, Maggie Swink, Maddux Winfrey, Kimbel Clinton, Ryan Stepp, Miles and Ella Mirhej, Max, Grace, and Henry Mirhej, and Jake Blazejowski; and great-grandchildren Ryleigh and Sutton Swink.

He was preceded in death by his parents; his wife, Diane Swink, and his son, Michael Swink.

The family is grateful to the compassionate caregivers at Hearth Hospice and Right at Home for their gentle care and kindness in his final days.

A memorial service will be held on Friday, July 10, at 11:00 a.m. at Wayside Presbyterian Church on Signal Mountain.

Memorial contributions may be made to Wayside Presbyterian Church at: www.waysidechurch.org/giving or Bethel Bible Village at: www.bethelbiblevillage.org/donate/. To honor his memory and his character, you can thank someone with a warm smile, share words of wisdom, or lend a helping hand, thus making this world a better place.

Please share your thoughts and memories at: www.chattanooganorthchapel.com

Arrangements are by the North Chapel of Chattanooga Funeral Home, Crematory, and Florist, 5401 Highway 153, Hixson, TN 37343.