Christopher W. Hunter passed away suddenly in San Diego, California on November 5, 2014 at the age of 31. A resident of Scarsdale for the first fifteen years of his life, he was born to Roberto J. “Bert” Hunter and Donna L. Webster. After attending the Greenacres Elementary and Scarsdale Middle schools, Christopher attended the Brunswick School in Greenwich, CT and graduated from the Hotchkiss School in Lakeville, CT. During his years at Amherst College, from which he graduated with a double major in psychology and sociology, he was a National Science Foundation Fellow (Duke University Medical Center) for research to investigate how nicotine combined with typical or atypical antipsychotic drugs may provide a more holistic and safe treatment for attention deficits in schizophrenics by administering nicotine through transdermal patches. Upon graduation from Amherst, Christopher earned a two-year fellowship in psychology with the San Diego State University where his research which focused on the associations between individuals’ physical activity, body mass index, and life satisfaction was presented at the 2006 annual meeting of the Society of Behavioral Medicine. During the last several years, Christopher became a California Basic Educational Skills Test-certified substitute teacher for the San Diego Unified School District and was an assistant teacher in various San Diego schools. Combining his passion for fitness with his love of education, Christopher designed several physical activity routines including a “Morning Run” program for elementary school children which at its peak had 300 students running up to 2 miles daily. Known for his kindness and compassion for his students, his work focused especially on disadvantaged children and those at risk as a result of abuse, neglect or behavioral issues.
In addition to his mother and father, Christopher is survived by brother, Alexander, sister, Dana, all residing in Greenwich, Connecticut, grandmothers Christine Webster and Francesca Ferguson, great aunts Judith Hunter, Vera Waddell, Valentina and Dina Castelli, great uncle Lawrence Waddell, aunts Joyce Woodford, Maria Northington and Gretel Webster, uncles Harry Webster, MD, Dennis Webster, William Woodford, many cousins and friends.
A viewing will be held from 5 p.m. until 8 p.m. Friday, November 21, 2014 at the Edwin L. Bennett Funeral Home, 824 Scarsdale Avenue, Scarsdale. A memorial service, celebration of life and internment will be held at 11 a.m. (viewing from 10 – 10:45 a.m.) Saturday, November 22, 2014 at the Church of St. James the Less, Church Lane and Crane Road in Scarsdale. A reception will immediately follow the service at the church.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests a donation in memory of Christopher to either the Church of St. James the Less (Youth Ministries), 10 Church Lane, Scarsdale, NY 10583 or the National Alliance on Mental Illness, Connecticut Chapter: NAMI Connecticut, 576 Farmington Avenue, Hartford, CT 06105.
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