Eugene F. Hunt

Eugene Hunt

February 06, 1922 - October 06, 2015

93 years of age, of Cranberry Township, PA, passed away on Oct. 6, 2015.
Visitation will be held on Thursday, Oct.8th at DEVLIN FUNERAL HOME of CRANBERRY, 2678 Rochester Rd., Cranberry Twp., PA 16066 from 1 p.m. to 3p.m. and 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. The funeral service will be held at 11:00 a.m., Friday, Oct. 9th at St Ferdinand Parish, 2535 Rochester Rd, Cranberry Township. PA 16066. Burial will follow the funeral at the Christ Our Redeemer Cemetery, Cemetery Lane, Pittsburgh, PA.

Gene was born in Brooklyn, N.Y. on February 6, 1922. He attended high school in Brooklyn and was drafted into the U.S. Army in late 1942. He served in the U.S. Army until 1945. While serving in the U.S. Army, Gene served as a Reconnaissance NCO, fighting throughout Europe with the armored infantry and for a time, with General Patton’s tank corp. He was involved in many small and large battles, including the Battle of the Bulge and the fierce fighting in early 1945 in the Saar-Moselle Triangle. Gene was, in every respect, a part of the Greatest Generation. Like many other young American soldiers, he was unfamiliar with the concept of a strict authority hierarchy. He was never an officer, but he was promoted to corporal, as he put it… “”several times.”” Despite his involvement in many battles, Gene never received a wound that required extended care. As said during one of the rare occasions he would talk about the war, “”If you ever get a choice of being smart, fast, brave or lucky, pick lucky.””

When Gene returned to the United States after the war, he attended the University of Notre Dame with the help of the G.I. Bill, and received a Bachelor’s of Arts Degree. During his first year on the campus, he, along with many other returning veterans, lived in a large tent/dormitory erected on one of the open spaces on the campus, while new dormitories were constructed.

In 1947, Gene married Virginia Isaacson, another Brooklyn native. Together they raised 11 children – 6 boys and 5 girls. Gene and Virginia celebrated their 68th wedding anniversary this year.
Gene worked as a copy writer and then senior executive in the advertising industry for many years, most of them at Ketchum, MacLeod & Grove, a Pittsburgh and national advertising powerhouse. He then started his own business, writing creative copy, informational books and technical materials. Working together with John Mathews, another writer, Gene won two prestigious Golden Quill awards. After retirement, Gene wrote a pre-teen book called the Accidental Spaceship. His book was published by HandPrint Books. Gene had begun to write several sequels to the book.

An active outdoorsman, Gene loved riding his old International tractor and doing projects on a beautiful piece of property owned by he and his wife in West Virginia, where they and the entire family spent many happy days. He also loved spending time outdoors and hunting. Gene was also a prolific reader and history buff, and used his literary skills to dominate in fiercely contested family games of Scrabble.

Gene is survived by a large family, consisting of his wife, Virginia, 11 children(Mary Hunt O’Conner, Joseph Hunt, Gary Hunt, Timothy Hunt, Terrence Hunt, Eugene Hunt, Kathleen Hunt Snoderly, Andrew Hunt, Ann Hunt Brunner, Patricia Hunt Croley, and Virginia Hunt), 18 grandchildren and 7 great grand-children and their spouses. He will be sorely missed as a loving father and inspiration to the entire family.