GROVE CITY, Pa. — Donald George Hunter, 65, died at his home in Beaumont, Texas, on Jan. 5, 2017, after living many years with Alzheimer’s disease.
Mr. Hunter was born Jan. 20, 1951, in Grove City, Pennsylvania, to George Veston and Evelyn McMichael Hunter. He was a 1968 graduate of Lakeview High School and graduated from Penn State University in 1972.
During his childhood on the Hunter family farm, he was a member of a 4-H livestock club, FFA and exhibited family livestock at many county fairs. As an agricultural student at Penn State University, he worked as a student livestock assistant in the beef and sheep barns, and was president of the Livestock Block and Bridle Club and received the Outstanding Senior Agricultural Student award. He received a master’s degree in animal science in Portland, Oregon.
During his agricultural career, Don managed sheep farms in Iowa and Oregon, and while in Oregon, he exhibited sheep on state and national levels.
His professional career included a professorship of agricultural science and farm management at Portland Community College, Portland, Oregon. In Oregon, he was also a leader of a 4-H livestock club.
His career path led him back to Pennsylvania where he worked for Penn State Extension as an agricultural education agent in several western Pennsylvania counties.
Upon retirement, Mr. Hunter continued to be involved in the livestock industry, maintaining a flock of commercial sheep, shearing sheep, instructor of sheep shearing schools, judging livestock and wool in several counties, and working his team of Haflinger draft horses.
He was a past president of the Mercer County Sheep and Wool Growers Association; co-chairman of the Keystone Livestock Exposition Sheep Committee, past committee chairman of the Northwest Pa. Cattlemen’s Junior Beef Classic and shared his expert wool grading talents at various county wool pools.
He is survived by his daughter, Emma Hunter and her family; step-daughter, Lauren Johnson; and Lisa Hunter, all of Beaumont, Texas. Survivors also include his eight siblings: Samuel Hunter, of Hagerstown, Maryland, Mary Musser, New Middletown, Ohio; Audrey Wheeler, Mercer, Pennsylvania; W. Glenn Hunter, Grove City; Liz Kingsley, Volant; Robert Hunter, Pickerington, Ohio; Hazel, of Stoneboro; and Frank Hunter, Jamestown, N.Y. He also is survived by many nieces and nephews and great-nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents, George V. and Evelyn M. Hunter.
Memorial contributions may be made to Special Olympics P.O. Box 1482 Hermitage, PA 16148. A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 21, 2017, at Irwin Presbyterian Church, 3653 Georgetown Road, Stoneboro, Pennsylvania, with the Rev. Willard Morris officiating. Local arrangements are being made by Cunningham Funeral Home, Inc., Grove City.
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