Joe E. Hunter from Houston, Texas, passed away on April 14, 2023, at the age of 82. He was born on December 31, 1940, in Poinsett County, Arkansas; Joe grew up farming with his family. He graduated from Dupo High School (Dupo, IL) in 1958 and joined the United States Navy shortly after. He met Joyce, the love of his life, through his father, Ambrose. Joyce worked at the same factory and carpooled with his dad. Ambrose was proud of his Navy son and brought him to the factory anytime Joe was home on leave. Joe was honorably discharged in March 1962. Although it was sometime later before the sparks of love would fly for Joe and Joyce, fly they did, and they married in December 1964. He became “Dad” or “Pop” to Nancy and Kevin and a loving family was born. Four years later, on Kevin’s first day of kindergarten, little sister Kerry came along.
After leaving the Navy, Joe’s new career involved telephone systems. He was a splicer for “Ma Bell” Telephone in Illinois installing and repairing lines and cables. His work took him and the family from Belleville, Illinois to Houston, Texas where he retired from installing new computer-based phone systems with Avaya (formerly a part of AT&T) after 38 years of service.
A man who never met a stranger, Joe loved to spend time with family and to travel. Frequent trips back home to Illinois kept him close to his siblings and the many nieces and nephews who lived there. Mississippi, Tennessee, Alabama, Wisconsin, and Michigan were frequent family visit destinations as well. In the Navy, Joe enjoyed visiting the ports in Europe but the one place he always wanted to go was Australia. That dream came true in 1999 when he and Joyce spent two weeks seeing the best of Australia and New Zealand.
When your youngest daughter begins to take dance lessons that consume her world, yours will be invaded by it too. Kerry was a part of a dance studio which held recitals every other year where Joe was one of the fathers who served as a stagehand. After one of the shows, he shared an idea: “Ann, it’s great how you let the fathers be involved backstage. I think it would be nice to do something like a father/daughter waltz.” Two years later one of the opening dances was a father/daughter waltz, and it returned many times as the years went on.
Music was another way Joe filled his extra time. He enjoyed musicals like Phantom of the Opera, Mamma Mia, and other shows available in the theaters of Houston and Galveston, Texas. He was a huge fan of the Eagles, Abba and an Irish singer named Daniel O’Donnell. A fond memory shared by one of his grandsons is driving to the store when he was young with a 50’s and 60’s tape playing Sherry Baby by Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons and they all sang along.
Everyone knew his favorite thing was watching a game of rugby. His favorite team was New Zealand’s All Blacks. It did not matter that their games started at 3:00 AM in Houston. He was there with a cup of coffee or a glass of tea ready to watch. If you wanted to know anything about the game, or even if you did not, he was ready to explain what was happening on the screen. He shared his love of rugby with some of his grandchildren.
Joe is survived by his bride of 58 years Joyce Hunter, daughter, Nancy Pouncey and husband Don, son Kevin Paramore and wife Anne, and youngest daughter, “our baby” Kerry Hunter, brother, Albert Hunter, five grandchildren, ten great-grandchildren and one great-great grandson. Preceded in death by his parents, Ambrose and Mary Hunter, older sister, Alice Fay O’Brien, older brother, Wayne Hunter, younger brothers, Jerry and Lonnie Hunter and grandson Cory Doyle.
The family would like to thank Crossroads Hospice for their compassionate care for Joe, especially nurses Juliet, Dawn and Luis, and Dr. Lee. You made your way into his heart and ours. Thank you seems like such a small expression of our gratitude.
Friends are invited to visitation with the family from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Saturday, April 22 in the chapel at Earthman Southwest Funeral Home, 12555 South Kirkwood Road in Stafford.
A Celebration of Mario's life will be held at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, April 22 also in the chapel at Earthman Southwest Funeral Home.
Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.earthmansouthwest.com for the Morin family.
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