Merle Moody Hunt of Baytown, Texas, passed away on February 12, 2020, at the age of 88, from complications of a stroke. She was born on February 8, 1932, in Houston, Texas, to Merle and Inez (Bayes) Moody. She married Howard Harvey Hunt on August 22, 1955, in Conroe, Texas. She began her career at the YMCA as an exercise instructor and finished as the executive director of the Baytown branch in 1994.
After retirement, Merle volunteered full-time for the Baytown YMCA, the Baytown Nature Center, and the Baytown Long Neck Wildlife Festival. Merle and her husband Howard were finalists for the Baytown Sun’s Citizen of the Year Award in 2001. Merle also served on the Civil Service Commission in Baytown and the board of the Friends of the Baytown Nature Center. Being avid birders, she and her husband enjoyed traveling the globe. Their travels took them to six continents. She was happiest entertaining friends and family. Merle was an excellent cook, having been nominated a Best Cook on the Block in Baytown. A devoted game player, she encouraged others to come by for a game of hand and foot, a card game, or any other board, card, or dice game around.
Merle was preceded in death by her father, Merle, her mother, Inez, her sister Bettye, her sons Nathen and Michael, and granddaughter Claire. She is survived by her husband of 64 years, Howard Hunt; one daughter Susan Flores (Sam); three sons Jack (Dianna), David (Marilyn), and Howard Noah (Susan); thirteen grandchildren Matthew Hunt, Heather (Flores) Boren, Olivia (Hunt) Tapia, Jesus Flores, Marcela (Flores) Robbins, Danielle (Hunt) McIlroy, Miriam (Flores) Christian, Ian Hunt, Samantha (Hunt) Phelps, Aaron Hunt, Nicolas Hunt, Alexander Hunt, and Ethan Hunt; twenty-four great-grandchildren, and five great-great-grandchildren.
A celebration of life will be held on Saturday, February 15th, 2020, at the former National Guard Armory, located at 111 YMCA Drive in Baytown at 1 o’clock p.m. In lieu of flowers, the family has requested that donations be made to The Friends of the Baytown Nature Center, P O Box 8177, Baytown, Texas 77522.
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