David William Lunt

U.S. Coast Guard motto: “Semper Paratus–Always Ready:” After nearly three years of battling cancer, David William Lunt closed his eyes to this earthly life on June 6, 2026, and opened them to behold his Savior, Jesus Christ. He was “ready.”

David’s life began in Ipswich, MA on May 19, 1956. He was born to Hollis and Norma (Walsh) Lunt–who later settled in Portland, ME. This is where David grew up and where he attended Deering High School. Not long after graduation, David enlisted in the U.S. Coast Guard in 1975. And that’s where he spent the next 36 years of his life. As a young Seaman, David attended the Machinery Technician (MK) school at Training Center Yorktown in VA. As the years went by, he rose to the rank of Senior Chief; then Chief Warrant Officer; and then advanced from Warrant to Lieutenant. After 36 years, David retired as a Captain.

He served aboard many U.S. Coast Guard Cutters: Hamilton (WMSL 753); Chase (WHEC-718); Cowslip (WLB-277); Morgenthau/Munro (WMSL-755); Reliance (WMEC-615). One of David’s ashore assignments in the late 70’s was with the Gulf Strike Team when it was located in Bay St. Louis, MS. It was here that he met his wife, Valerie (who was a Navy Yeoman) at a Red Cross Blood Drive. David got her attention by sharing his snacks with her. She was a bit of a cookie monster. They were married in Waveland, MS in 1979 and their first child, Joshua, was born at Keesler AFB in Biloxi, MS. From MS, they moved to Yorktown, VA where David served at the Marine Safety School while Valerie and Joshua tried to adapt to life, mosquitoes and 9 chickens and a rooster in Guinea on Jenkins Neck in Gloucester. Their second child, Allyson, was born in Williamsburg, VA. Now a foursome, the Coast Guard took them to Alameda, CA; New Castle, NH; Boston, MA and then back to Training Center Yorktown, VA, where David had come full circle. At the MK school he attended at the beginning of his CG enlistment, David now oversaw the Engineering & Weapons schools. And finally, David retired in June 2011, from the USCG Surface Forces Logistics Center Detachment Norfolk, where he served as the Executive Officer.

Even though he was a busy guy, in 2001, David earned his Bachelor of Science Degree in Management from the NH College of Life Long Learning; and in 2016, from Liberty University, he earned his Master’s in Human Services: Business.

It was while living in NH, that David began attending church with Valerie and their children. And in time, David rededicated His life to Christ, was baptized, and began following Him. In 2002, after their move back to VA, they joined Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church in Williamsburg, VA where their growth and learning continued and where David served as the Finance Chair for a number of years–until the effects of cancer began to surface. For 15 years, David attended the Men’s Bible Study Fellowship class in Newport News and gained a love for God’s Word. God’s Word, their church and his faith brought stability and strength as his cancer journey began and continued. David was “Semper Paratus” in the Coast Guard, in life, and in his passing–by God’s grace, he was “ready” for life in Eternity.

As a Naval Engineer, David’s responsibilities included engine repair; problem solving; training others; and management of people and finances. None of that was wasted in the non-profit organizations in which he volunteered: see Jesus; Literacy for life; the Williamsburg Bicycle Co-op, and the Virginia Master Naturalists (Historic River Chapter). In 2017, David and a fellow Virginia Master Naturalist (VMN) started the Bluebird Trail at Cedar Grove cemetery. They refurbished abandoned boxes and added new ones. Every Spring, he and other faithful “VMN-ers” monitored the boxes–documenting active nests.

David was generous, compassionate, persevering and dedicated. He will be dearly missed by his family and friends.

David is preceded in death by his parents, Hollis and Norma Lunt, and his grandparents, John R, and Ruth (Ferguson) Walsh, and Reginal and Dora (Sargent) Lunt. In addition to his wife, Valerie, David is survived by his son Joshua, his wife Aaisha of Washington DC, their children, Joaquin, Jordan and Zeya; his daughter, Allyson Schanck and her husband, Joshua, of Melrose, MA; David’s older brother, Harry “Tim” Perkins of Boxford, MA, his children Jeffrey, Justin and Katrina; his younger brother John Reginal Lunt and his wife Cindy (Johnson) of Portland, ME and their children, Matthew, Andrew and Alexander; and his sister, Dora Ruth MacVicar, her husband Gene of Windham, ME and her children Jeremy Lamson and Jessica Lilly.

A memorial service will be held 10:00 AM, Friday, July 10, 2026 at Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church located on Jamestown Road in Williamsburg, VA. A burial will follow with military honors (1:00 PM) at Cedar Grove Cemetery in Williamsburg–where you can see the bluebird boxes! In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to see Jesus, Bible Study Fellowship or to Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church.